


Setsuzoku: Next Generation

by WineLickingPasta



Series: Setsuzoku [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Brotherly Bonding, Brotherly Love, F/F, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Human Experimentation, Hurt/Comfort, I decide how Fuinjutsu work, I don't know how to pace stories either, I swear to God I have humor sometimes, Improper use of fuinjutsu, It's a continuation of the other OC insert fic, Kidnapping, Konoha is a very corrupt place but we pretend that it's not, M/M, Mutilation, Orochimaru is a dick, Sibling Bonding, Tags Are Fun, actual kids suck, anyways the white people are gonna be different, at least these kids not actual kids, don't be fooled by the posting, how do I spell?, how do children act?, i can't believe i forgot the angst tag, i dont know why im doing this still, i just post it here so that my friends can read it easier, i started this in like 2018, i sure don't know how, kids are op, like really bad, not THIS time, ootsutsuusutsutustu, probably hardcore ptsd, sometimes, still ignoring everything about logic in naruto, still self indulgent, technically self mutilation, the pacing is bad, they're too mature, this is going to completely ruin my standing, this would technically be post boruto but i write it like it is boruto, timelines are weird, too bad i can't write it well, why haven't i stopped writing at this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:21:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 25
Words: 177,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22391689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WineLickingPasta/pseuds/WineLickingPasta
Summary: Namikaze Fujin. Nara Saku. Uzumaki Naegi.Children of literal gods, I suppose. During the chuunin exam of their older siblings, the three meet a man who will change their fate forever. And not necessarily for good.
Series: Setsuzoku [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1611724
Kudos: 1





	1. Surprise Adoption!

Namikaze Uzumaki Fujin. Son of the first Uzukage and Namikaze, formerly Haruno, Sakura. The uzukage, Namikaze Uzumaki Ryuusuke, along with his two of his four children and his wife, were on the train to the ninja village in the Land of Fire, Konoha. 

Fujin was excited. Not only did he get to watch his oldest brother Akahiko fight in the final of the chuunin exam, but he would get to see his best friends, Nara Saku and Uzumaki Naegi. 

The train ride had always been one of his favourite things when going to Konoha. Instead of taking the Thunder train, which went through a teleportation seal his father had made, they took the Wind train, which went on a long bridge connecting Uzu to the mainland. Fujin had always liked watching the ocean as the train speeded over the waters. 

He peeked out of the window, seeing the green and lush forests surrounding Konoha. In the distance, he could see the city in all its glory. Excitement built up inside him. This would be the best day of his life. 

As the train entered Konoha's outskirts, Fujin could see how his father's expression changed from his usual soft and peaceful expression to a melancholier gaze. Fujin tried to hide his curiosity as his mother gently took his father's hand, murmuring something in his ear. 

Fujin had turned six that year, and his training in the ninja arts had been practiced since he was five. Though he hadn't learned much ninjutsu nor worked on taijutsu. It was mostly studying and learning how to read situations and faces, hence why he easily could recognise his parent's expression. 

"Dad, don't you like Konoha?" Fujin asked suddenly. His father's blue eyes trailed from the window to him. He gave Fujin a soft smile, shaking his head shortly. 

"I like Konoha just fine, Fujin. I'm just reminded of when I'm younger when I'm here," he replied. Minato, Fuujin's older brother by two years, cocked his head to the side. 

"You were born in Konoha, right?" He asked. Ryuusuke smiled. 

"That's right, I lived her until I was Akahiko's age. I moved right after my own Chuunin exam," Ryuusuke said. Fujin looked at his mother, who looked at the floor in what seemed to be... shame? 

He was glad that his older brother was not as attentive to details as himself, just continuing to ask his father about Konoha and moving away from there. Minato had always wanted to explore the world, and their father had decided that if he passed his chuunin exam he would be allowed to do so. Minato had yet to become a genin, but he was amongst the most powerful students in his class and was well on his way to become one of Uzu's strongest ninja. And Akahiko was even stronger than him again, showing talent that hinted on him being able to surpass their father. 

Fujin had another older brother, Minato's twin, his name was Sora. Sora, at the age of five, had awakened an ability to communicate with Uzu in a way their father couldn't quite understand. However, he could control the barrier around Uzu at will, and Sora had mentioned to Fujin and Minato that the island could tell him when a storm was coming, or if danger was on the rise. Because of that, Sora liked to remain in Uzu, feeling much safer there than anywhere else. He said that he wasn't interested in watching Akahiko's match, as he could do that whenever his brother was in the village anyway. Fujin had to agree with that, but he didn't come to Konoha to watch the match, he came to meet his friends. 

Nara Saku was the daughter of Nara Eon and Nara Yachi, belonging to one of the most prestigous clans in Konoha. Famous for their shadow techniques, analytic abilities and intelligence. Saku...was not very smart, Fujin had concluded, but she was very adventurous and fun. She and her family, being her mother, father and elder brother often came to Uzu during summer vacations. Her elder brother, Nara Shizuaki, was a student at Uzu Academy, and was in the first international genin team along with Akahiko and Uzumaki Riko. 

Uzumaki Riko was the eldest sister of Naegi, though Naegi also had an older brother named Ao. A family trait running through them was a soft, shy and kind personality. Naegi was still with Saku and Fujin on their various adventures. Naegi's family also came often to Uzu, but not nearly enough in Fujin's opinion. 

Since Naegi and Saku were both the same age as Fujin himself, they practically grew up together, Saku and Naegi even more so. They were entering the academy this autumn, and while Fujin was technically going to enter the Uzu academy, he had begun to entertain the thought of asking his father if not he could go to school with Naegi and Saku. Sure, he had some friends in Uzu, like one of his many clansmen; Uzumaki Haru. Haru was not someone Fujin was particularly close to, but they hung out a lot when they had the time. Haru was very competitive, and there for the boys were often found racing in the city. 

"Dad, when we get back to Konoha, will you begin my ninjutsu training?" Fujin asked. His father glanced at him, eyebrow raised. 

"Fujin, me and Sora didn't start before we were seven! You shouldn't either!" Minato said, huffing. 

"What happened to you doesn't matter to me," Fujin argued. "Both you and Big brother one and two are already strong! I don't want to fall behind!" He continued. Minato stuck his tounge out. 

"You're the youngest, you'll always be behind!" 

"Boys, stop fighting," His mother scolded. 

"Fujin, I can start with some simple chakra control exercises to get you used to your chakra, but nothing more. If you want, we can work a bit more on your personality and infiltration studies?" His father said. Fujin nodded, sulking. Then, the train stopped, and the doors opened. 

"We're here!" Fujin exclaimed happily as he jumped out of his seat, running out of the train. As he shuffled his way through the masses of people, his father laughing in the background, Fujin tried his best to spot his best friends in the waiting area. 

Surely, a wildly waving Saku and a more shyly waving Naegi with a bright smile waited for him not far away, their mothers standing behind them with smiles of their own. Fujin ran over to them, and Saku barrelled into him on the way, making them both fall to the ground. Naegi's laughter sounded clearly as he helped them untangle. 

"Fujin!" Saku exclaimed happily. "It took so long for you to get here! Why didn't you take the Thunder train? We could have been exploring all day!" She babbled. Fujin laughed. 

"I wanted to see the sea! Dad said we had the time to take the long way, and it's not often since he's busy all the time!" Fujin explained happily. He looked at the adults who watched their children with gentle smiles. 

"Hey aunt Yuki, aunt Eon!" Fujin said with a grin. The two females smiled at him. 

"Hello Fujin, did you run away from your father again?" Eon said as she ruffled his hair. Fujin stuck out his tongue. 

"Dad's always late, you can't blame me for being quick!" Fujin retorted. Eon stifled a laugh. 

"It's true," Yuki said with a knowing smile. 

"Eon! Yuki!" Ryuusuke shouted from afar. The two females looked at him, smiling brightly, 

"Ryuu!" Yuki greeted. "I see your son hasn't inherited your tardiness, did you take another nap?" She teased. Eon laughed, the two meeting Ryuusuke halfway. 

"Thank god he didn't," Sakura said with a sigh. "In the mornings I almost have to _dress_ him to get him ready for the day, I swear for someone who managed to sleep for an entire month he's too tired," she said, punching Ryuusuke lightly on the shoulder. Ryuusuke pouted, tapping his finger on his cane absentmindedly. 

"How is your leg nowadays?" Yuki asked gently. Ryuusuke shrugged. 

"The usual, Sakura manages to keep the pain even more at bay, and I'm working on a more permanent sealing method so that I can erase it completely," Ryuusuke replied. Yuki hummed. 

"You're lucky that it's a mild pain, it could have been a lot worse," Sakura stated. Ryuusuke chuckled. He turned to Eon. 

"Is Jiraiya in town?" He asked. Eon nodded. 

"He came back for the occasion, chuunin exams require a higher security by default, no one will try anything whe nthey know that Jiraiya is in town, even though he's retired. Me and Yuki are Obito-sensei's guards, so we'll be in the box with you. Jiraiya wanted to hang out with your kids, but Yachi and Kousuke is there, so don't worry about any corruption," Eon replied with a smirk. 

"Not to mention that I'll be there," Sakura said, a vein popping on her forehead. 

"I thought you would be Ryuusuke's guard as well?" Yuki said. Sakura shook her head. 

"Roshi and Yugito came along, but they took the thunder train. They are prepping the apartment. It was decided that Fujin would stay at your place?" Sakura asked Eon. 

"Yeah, my old apartment in the Nara compound remains vacant, Shikaku said that Saku, Fujin and Naegi could stay there, and he'd watch after them, or rather, Yoshino will watch after them. Shikamaru and Temari are here too, with their son Shikao. He's the same age as the kids so they'll probably get along. Though Shikao usually hangs out with Choza," Eon said. 

"Choza? Isn't that Choji's old man?" Ryuusuke asked. Eon shook her head. 

"Choji's father died in the early parts of the war, Choza was named after him," Eon said. Ryuusuke nodded solemnly. 

"I probably should have known that," he said awkwardly. 

"Dad can we go?" Fujin moaned. He, Naegi and Saku were all standing by the exit, almost jumping where they stood. Ryuusuke laughed. 

"Hey, the tournament starts in an hour, you guys need to find your seats and buy snacks for the matches! You won't have time for any exploring anyway," Ryuusuke said. Fujin pouted. 

"Fine, but do we _really_ have to watch _all_ the matches?" Fujin asked. Ryuusuke looked at Sakura questioning. She shrugged with a defeated sigh. 

"If you truly want to leave at some point I'll allow it, but I'm sure all your siblings really want your support, and we can't be sure of when that is. Matches can be changed if something happens. Other than that, I don't see an issue," Sakura said. Ryuusuke nodded. 

"You heard her," he said. He looked at Eon and Yuki. "We should go meet Obito-sensei," he said. They nodded in reply. Yuki and Eon said goodbye to their children, while Ryuusuke ruffled Fujin's hair affectionately. 

"I'll drop by the Nara compound later, okay? Don't be outside too late," Ryuusuke said. 

"Yes, dad," Fujin drawled in reply. 

Fujin exchanged looks with Saku and Naegi while they watched their parents disappear, Sakura going with Minato to the stadium towards the stadium. 

"We can probably find them at the stadium later, let's take a detour and do some mini exploring!" Saku said. Fujin grinned. 

"Sounds great!" He said. 

The three kids ventured down the streets of Konoha. The people who were still there gave them polite smiles and small waves, after all, the son of the Uzukage, the son of one of the strongest jonin in the village, along with being quite the prodigy within the ninja arts himself and the daughter of the head of the intelligence department and the head of the torture and interrogation department – they were bound to be known. 

Their parents were the heroes of the Fourth Ninja War as well, and tales of their victory was not uncommon knowledge. Fujin himself hadn't found it very interesting, his father – though doing some crazy stuff himself – was not really present during the final stages of the war. In addition, the actual facts around the final stages was somewhat blurred out, no one really talked about it – nor did they want to. 

They decided to drop by a park on the way to the stadium. It wasn't very big, and usually it was not used at all. It was kind of nice though, quiet and by the river that ran through the city. 

"You guys are entering the Academy next year, right?" Fujin asked his companions. Saku nodded. 

"I asked mom if I could enter earlier, but she said no. The Uzu academy doesn't allow admissions before you're eight does it?" Saku asked. Fujin shook his head. 

"No, they say that the extensive training they put their students through is not suitable for anyone under eight, and that they require a previous course before that as well for intelligence and stuff, my father is home schooling me rather than sending me to the pre-academy course, because he really felt bored for some reason and decided he needed to do something more than just sit behind his desk," Fujin said, chuckling. 

"But we could still be on a genin team together, since our siblings did so," Naegi stated. Fujin nodded. 

"Though the teams aren't based on friendship or something like that, it's based on skill to best balance the squad," Fujin said. 

"Well, that sucks," Saku huffed. Fujin laughed. 

"Couldn't have said it better," Naegi agreed. 

They found themselves continuing on their path, rather than stopping in the park as planned. Walking over a bridge that crossed the large river, they soon entered the more spacious areas in Konoha, somewhat close to the Nara compound. It was a very lush area, with many open spaces and a nice atmosphere. 

"Maybe we should start to head to the stadium," Naegi said. Fujin hummed in agreement. 

"I don't really want to miss Akahiko's match," Fujin stated. Saku shook her head. 

"Guys, we literally have free reigns for a couple of hours – and you want to sit and watch matches? We all know that our siblings will enter the little tournament held in Uzu for fun's sake," she said. Fujin shrugged. 

"It's true," he stated. Naegi shuffled slightly. 

"I guess," he mumbled. He suddenly shook his head violently. A wide grin spreading across his face. "You're right! We should totally just hang out as much as we can before Fujin has to leave again!" Naegi exclaimed. Saku and Fujin replied with grins of their own, and the three children ran into the forest, deciding to explore the 'wilderness' that was inside Konoha's walls. 

The forest wasn't exactly thick, and it was pretty easy to find your way around. Yet the trees gave you a certain cover from the busy city life that Konoha had. It was also fun to play various forms of ninja games, as you could almost simulate a real battle situation without much problems. 

The three kids laid on the grass in a clearing, watching the clouds pass over them while a gentle breeze fluttered their clothes. 

"Uncle Shikamaru watches clouds a lot, he says it's one of his two hobbies," Saku said. 

"What is the other?" Naegi asked. 

"Playing shogi, it's a mind game or something, it's very boring!" Saku exclaimed. Fujin stifled a laugh. 

"It's to practice strategy, your clan is famous for it," Fujin said. Saku stuck her tongue out at him. 

"It's easy for you to say, Fujin! You have a knack for sitting and reading those super boring books for hours! I can't sit still for that long! It's impossible!" Saku shouted dramatically. 

"I've always been better at moving than reading, but you should at least read something, Saku," Naegi added with a teasing smile. "It wouldn't help you to be the only dumbass in the family," he grinned. Saku punched him lightly on the shoulder. 

"I could take you anytime!" She challenged. Naegi raised an eyebrow. 

"Oh yeah?" He asked. Saku shot to her feet, fist raised. Naegi stood up slowly, a smirk playing on his face. 

"Definitely," Saku said. Fujin stood up as well, trying to ease his two comrades by gently lifting his hands. 

"Guys, please – if you guys beat each other up now I'll have to carry both of you home!" Fujin complained. 

"No, please let them fight, I want to see what you are capable of..." A new voice said. Fujin stiffened as he looked towards the source. 

In the shadow of a tree, a man leaned on the tree trunk gracefully. Long, black hair framed his face which was unnaturally pale. Yellow, snake like eyes stared at them almost... hungrily. Fujin's confusion was obvious. Why was the man looking at them like they were some meal? Fujin bit his lip, trying to make sense of the man's facial expression. 

Naegi and Saku had stopped their argument, drawing closer to Fujin absentmindedly. 

"Who are you?" Naegi asked. The man chuckled. He stepped out from under the darkness. He was dressed in clothes of primarily black, grey, white and purple. The purple matched the pattern that framed his eyes in the same colour. 

"… you can call me Orochimaru," the man – Orochimaru – said. 

"Orochimaru? You're one of the legendary sannin! A village traitor!" Fujin exclaimed. He fell into a protective stance, not that he actually knew how to fight – but he had watched his brothers a lot. 

"That's correct, young Namikaze," Orochimaru said smoothly. "Now, I originally just came here for the sharingan, but it looks like I can get some bonuses while I'm at it," Orochimaru said. Suddenly, a pressure greater than Fujin had ever felt before fell in the area. It was crushing the three kids underneath it. Fujin felt himself shaking, he was unable to move at all. He was so... _afraid._

His father had mentioned once during his lessons that people were able to weaponize their killer intent by amplifying it with their chakra – but this was to an extreme degree. Naegi and Saku didn't fare much better than him. Naegi was crying, and Fujin could feel tears pressing behind his own eyes as well. He truly wished he had gone with his mother now. He should never have stalled going to the stadium. Saku fell to the ground, shaking with tears streaming down her face as well. 

Fujin turned his gaze to Orochimaru, meeting the man's evil eyes with an uncertain defiance. 

"Don't try to fight me..." Orochimaru murmured. He stepped closer to them, not stopping before he was less than a meter away. He crouched down, smiling predatorily as he licked his lips. "You'll die," he said. Tears spilled from Fujin's eyes, then he felt a sharp pain in his head and lost himself to darkness. 

\-- 

Fujin snapped his eyes open. A sharp intake of breath followed shortly after. He sat up in what he quickly understood was a bed. It was exactly comfortable, but not impossible to lay on either. The room he was in had pure white walls, dark grey stone tiles for a floor along with two other beds that laid next to him. The occupants of those beds, to Fujin's relief, was Saku and Naegi. 

Now that he got his surroundings, where the hell were they? He dragged himself out of the bed, strangely exhausted, before making his way over to Naegi, who was sleeping in the middle of the three. 

"Naegi," Fujin said. His voice was hoarse, and his mouth felt dry. Naegi didn't even twitch. Fujin would have guessed that he had been awake for two days or something, because Naegi was usually a very light sleeper. He tried moving over to Saku, but the more he moved, the more his legs felt like jelly. 

"I would go back to bed, Fujin," a voice hummed. Fujin whipped his head around, meeting Orochimaru's sinister gaze once again. 

"Where are we?!" Fujin shouted with a glare. "I want to go home!" Orochimaru chuckled at that, the smile of a predator once again on his face. 

"You are at my best facility, a true training ground for ninja hopefuls like yourself. As for going home... well, you can forget about that," Orochimaru said. "Naegi and Saku are sleeping because of a drug, they were very hysteric and difficult to deal with, and I didn't want to hurt them more than I had to. Luckily for you, you were knocked out quite a long time from my subordinates hit," Orochimaru said. 

"Why are you doing this?" Fujin asked. Orochimaru chuckled again. It seemed like something he would do quite often. 

"To make you into excellent ninja, of course," Orochimaru replied. 

"You could have asked, I'm very sure that dad will be raging about this, we won't be here for long," Fujin said. 

"I wonder about that..." Orochimaru hummed. "You'll do well to listen to me while you're here, or else there will the dire consequences. You and your friends will get to be the probably most successful subjects I have worked with. The procedure has gotten over a ninety percent success rate now," Orochimaru said. "I'll come get you all in two hours," he said and left. 

Fujin ran up to the door, his legs shaking as he tried to open it. Locked. Of course. There was another door, on the side of the room. Fujin hurried over there. Opening it revealed a bathroom, a simple one with a shower and a bathtub, strangely enough. A toilet, sink, and three large lockers were on the side. 

Fujin went back into the main room. There was no way out. He sat down on the bed, anger building up in him. He would not listen to Orochimaru. Nope. 

\- 

Saku and Naegi woke up not long before the two hours were up. They were just as confused as he were himself, and as Fujin explaines his encounter with Orochimaru, they were even more confused, and scared. 

"Our best option is to wait this out," Naegi whispered. Fujin and Saku stared at him incrediously. 

"What?" Saku asked. Naegi looked at them carefully. 

"Orochimaru is one of the strongest ninjas alive, and a very talented scientist according to the books in the library. He knocked us out easily, got into Konoha and managed to get the three of us out! If we disobey, as he said, things could go bad!" Naegi exclaimed. 

"I won't listen to him! He's an asshole!" Fujin argued. 

"A very strong asshole," Saku added. "It doesn't matter if we disobey or not... we just have to stick together guys," she said and grabbed their hands. Fujin pouted. 

The door opened, and Orochimaru along with three henchmen who carried three gurneys, 

"Now you three, be good and lay down on these," Orochimaru said. The three kids looked at each other hesitantly. "Now, please," Orochimaru said, his voice darker than before. 

Naegi and Saku walked forward slowly, being lifted up into their respective gurneys by the henchmen. Fujin stood his ground, glaring at Orochimaru. Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, before snapping his fingers. The final henchmen walked over to Fujin, and before Fujin could react, a fist had buried himself in his stomach, knocking the air out of him as he crumbled to the ground. The henchmen lifted him up and placed him in the final gurney. 

Fujin tried his best to get a view on his surroundings, but everything just seemed like a long hallway. Suddenly, Saku and the henchmen pushing her gurney took a left. Fujin struggled against the restraints that had been put on him. 

"No!" He shouted. He could hear Saku whimper quietly as she tried her best not to panic. Tears began rolling down her face. Fujin glared at Orochimaru's back, he was walking a little ahead of them, and Fujin was glad that he could watch him and curse him to the worst of the seven hells. 

Fujin and Naegi were brought into what looked like a surgery room. The white walls were starting to freak Fujin out. He tried to get out of his restraints again, but to no avail. He got more pissed about his uselessness. He truly should have begun his training a long time ago, so this would never have happened. He just hoped that his father would notice that they were missing soon, he always knew what to do. At least Fujin hoped he did. 

"Now, what we're going to do his that we're going to unlock some of your genes – activate them, if you will. After all, the Uzumakis carried strong bloodlines, and so do you, as descendants of the main family. First, we're going to have to make your body adaptable for it, and that's what this is for," Orochimaru lifted up a syringe with a blue liquid in it, pinching it gently. 

"After that, we will unlock the genes with these," he lifted up a set of different syringes. Fujin shuddered. "And in the end, we will have to stabilize your body, and we have some more substances for that, if everything goes well, you'll be stronger than ever... if not... well, we'll see what happens," Orochimaru chuckled. 

The henchmen along with them strapped Naegi and Fujin even more tightly to the gurneys, and Orochimaru walked over to Fujin with the first syringe. 

"Now, since you so rudely disobeyed me earlier, why don't we start here?" Orochimaru said. He jabbed the syringe into Fujin's neck. A scream tore out of Fujin as the substance got inserted into his body. It felt like burning acid as it spread out through his body. It felt like every limb was being slowly ripped apart. He was seeing white as the searing pain continued to spread. Not long after, Naegi's screaming joined him, and Fujin tried his best not to cry, though he wasn't sucessful. 

The pain remained for hours upon hours, and once it finally subsided, Orochimaru came back with the next set of syringes. Inserting them slowly, and painfully. The burning sensation continued. Fujin hadn't paid attention to the time, but he was certain that they had been in that room for over a day. He'd passed out a lot, losing consciousness because of the pain. He was sure Naegi didn't fare much better. After some time, Naegi had stopped screaming and writhing in pain next to him. He was fast asleep from exhaustion. Fujin cursed. The pain was still hot in his body. 

Orochimaru came back in and rushed over to Naegi's side. Fujin couldn't hear what he was saying, but Naegi got hurried out from the room they were in. Fujin shuddered. He didn't want to think it. He didn't even want to entertain the thought. There was no way that would happen. 

After what seemed like an eternity, the pain subsided. Fujin tried to get out of the restrains again. He looked at the restraints. It seemed like normal leather, and by the looks of it, very durable. The medical tools were too far away to have any use, not that he could get one of them since his entire body was strapped to the gurney. 

Orochimaru came back into the room, eyeing Fujin carefully. 

"How do you feel?" He asked Fujin. Fujin scoffed, rolling his eyes. 

"As you would care," he said. Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. He took a look at a computer which was stationed next to Fujin's bed. He quickly strapped some wires and drew some blood from Fujin with another syringe. Damn, he hated those things. 

"It doesn't seem like the experiment had any effect on you," Orochimaru stated. Fujin glared at him. 

"So, it was all for nothing then? Well, thanks for that, asshole!" Fujin shouted. 

"Your cousin Naegi was much more successful, he is currently being fixed up and monitored. If you care about him, that is," Orochimaru said. "Saku's procedures are done as well, though she needs rest and time to heal, so you won't see her anytime soon. As the experiment didn't affect you, I'll start by putting you through some training instead, after all, you have great potential as a ninja considering your lineage," Orochimaru continued. 

"Like hell I'll do anything you ask me!" Fujin shouted back at him. Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. 

"Perhaps I'll have to break you in first, then," Orochimaru said. He went over to Fujin's bed, releasing the restraints as he grabbed Fujin's arm, dragging him out of the place. Fujin felt awfully weak, feeling himself tripping over himself as Orochimaru pulled him along. 

It didn't take long before Orochimaru threw him into a room. It was darkly lit, but not enough so that one couldn't see. Fujin was dropped quite harshly in the middle of the room. He tried to stand up but found himself too weak to stand on his own. 

"I'm not too fond of doing the dirty work, but I know someone who will be dying to meet you," Orochimaru said. He went out of the room, and Fujin could hear him step into somewhere else not far away. Not soon after, hurried steps came towards the room. The door slammed open, revealing a man who seemed to be in in late forties. He wore a dark red kimono like shirt, with black rims. He wore black pants and shinobi sandals. His grey hair was a contrast to his unnatural yellow eyes. Three, deep scars marred his face, it looked like he had fought a beast head on. 

The man released something that sounded like a moan of pleasure. He hurried over to Fujin, looking over him hungrily. 

"W-who are you?" Fujin asked. The man hummed. 

"My name is not really important... but I'll let it slide this time... my name is Sonsho Shinryuaku, and you, my little friend," he leaned closer to Fujin, caressing his feed as he drunk in Fujin's terrified expression. 

"You're going to pay for what your daddy did," he whispered in Fujin's ear. 

\-- 

They hadn't seen him for months, but by the amount of blood they had taken from Naegi was a good indicator that it wasn't pretty.   
The tense silence whenever he and Saku were left alone in their room was excruciating. They spoke in hushed whispers whilst listening to screams of the tortured.   
They had figured out that they weren't the first to be brought into this facility, and they most certainly would not be the last.   
Naegi had known that opposing Orochimaru for so long wouldn't go well, but his cousin was not one to listen. Correction; his brother was a stubborn fool, who's view on what's right and what's wrong blinded him from the situation they were in.   
Sauk had the same idea as himself; do what it takes to survive, all three. But know Fujin had been locked up who knows where and by each passing hour, each passing day, Naegi wondered if he would ever see him again, or if any of them would come out alive. 

They had heard from Orochimaru that Fujin, who had continued to defy him, would spend his time being 'lectured'. 

Naegi had woken up in a human test tube a few months ago. Orochimaru had brought him back to his room where Saku was brought in not long after. She had bandages in front of her eyes. After they both had calmed down, after crying and sobbing and just holding onto each other for their dear lives, Saku had explained that after the three had been separated, Saku had been brought into surgery for her eyes, it has supposedly mixed her sharingan along with a byakugan. Since her eyes needed to heal, she'd been kept in a dark room for at least three months. When Naegi was brought out of his own treatment, she was allowed to come here. Obviously, she still wasn't allowed to take of the bandages for another two months. Now, one month later after that again, Orochimaru had come to tell them that they would be working on their bloodline limits and training for the next six months. 

Naegi had gone through some time ago, where they had figured out that he had not only been strengthen in body and soul, increasing his chakra capacity to that of a jonin, but he had an advanced healing bloodline that would perfectly heal any wound. It could occasionally leave a scar if the wound was too big, but not more. 

In addition to that, the chakra weapon bloodline his mother had awakened had been passed to him. Every bloodline available to him had been activated to full strength. Not long after, they found out that if someone got Naegi's blood injected in them, it would heal their wounds. Orochimaru only used it for emergencies, but he told Naegi that Fujin would need his help for his treatment. Naegi had allowed it, although hesitantly. He still didn't know exactly what Orochimaru was doing to Fujin. 

Training was harsh. They would wake up in the earliest hours in the morning, eat breakfast and get ready, before being sent for hours of physical workout. Following that they worked with intelligence related things, strategy, infiltration tactics, history, understanding of jutsu and how they worked and much more. After around three o'clock, they would work on various ninjutsu, chakra control exercises, genjutsu and anything in between. Orochimaru had developed a drug that allowed them to replenish their chakra a lot without any serious repercussions due to Naegi's healing ability. The exensive training led to Saku's chakra capacity increasing very quickly, and while Naegi's grew to, not on such a rapid pace. 

After six months, both Saku and Naegi had chakra levels of elite jonin and every skill they'd work on had a high genin level to low chuunin level. It was this time that Orochimaru sent them into the pit. 

The pit was a large arena in one of the lower levels, where every single soldier under Orochimaru fought to show their skill to Orochimaru and gain fame. In the pit, it was kill or be killed. Not that Naegi or Saku wanted to do anything. Naegi, who was able to produce blunt weapons, did his best only to knock out his opponents. Saku, who didn't enjoy it any more than Naegi, had found herself with a kunai buried in an opponent's chest once. Naegi did his best to help her get over it, but Saku had understood the meaning of kill or be killed. And sometimes, she found that it was the only solution. 

Today, they were once again headed for the pit. Naegi didn't like it. He preferred the training they did the first half of the day. However, he could see the benefit of trying out his abilities in the pit. He knew better how to apply his skill in combat, and not just spars like he'd seen his siblings do. 

The only thing that kept silence from surrounding them was the sound of footsteps they made as they approached a large double door. Naegi sent Saku an uncertain glance, which she met with an almost comforting grin. Despite the darkness of the entire situation, Saku had somewhat managed to remain the positive one. Always ready to crack a joke and try to lighten the mood. Yet, it was difficult. They still had no clue about Fujin, other than that he most likely wasn't dead. 

The doors to the pit opened, and the chaos of battle sounded. There were always people in the pit, and the noise of it all was a big contrast to the usual silence that followed Naegi and Saku around. Other than the screaming of the tortured, obviously, but they weren't exactly close enough to be heard in Saku and Naegi's room unless they were _really_ loud. It wasn't often. 

It didn't take long before Saku and Naegi were in the midst of battle, fighting for their lives. Naegi summoned a chakra kunai, despite it being blunt. It was the best way to protect himself without needing to heal unnecessary wounds. A fire jutsu forced him to part from Saku's side. He fought three genin level opponents. He'd fought them before and knew that they would be back to attempt to extract revenge. He wanted to sigh, but knew that it would only aggravate his opponents more, and he didn't really want to see if Orochimaru had done any special augmentations to them. 

A sudden blast of wind knocked him off his feet and he fell to the ground harshly. He lifted his kunai to block an incoming slash from one of the opponent's great sword. He closed his eyes out of instinct, readyign himself from the immense weight that was to hit him. The strike never came. A clash between metal was heard, and then the tearing of flesh. Naegi opened his eyes. 

Dressed in the usual light blue garb that Orochimaru offered all his test subjects, though with several holes, stood his cousin. Blood had splattered on his face, a stark contrast to his pale skin. His golden hair was dirty with dry blood and his eyes stared back at Naegi with an unfamiliar blankness. 

"Be careful," Fujin said. His eyes wandered over to Saku's location. He jumped into the fray without another word, cutting down his opponents with a stolen kunai like paper. Naegi jumped to his feet. He hurried over to Fujin's location. 

"Hey! You can't just be gone for months and then not say anything! Where have you been!" Naegi asked. Fujin seemed to flinch slightly, his eyes shadowed for a moment before he shook his head. 

"It doesn't matter, I'm not leaving you guys again," He said determinedly. Saku rushed over to them, crashing into Fujin as she hugged him. Déjà vu, Naegi chuckled. 

After Saku had finished with her own questions, with Fujin avoiding them like he did with Naegi, the three seven-year olds fought together against their opponents. It wasn't much of a match when the three were together. They had some difficulty one coordinating properly, so they just stuck to taking on one opponent each and making sure no one behind any of the three. 

After three hours in the pit, one of Orochimaru's henchmen came to pull them out. This was to send them straight into more training. Their new regimen was around learning all they could about logical things like strategy, history, chakra theory, workings of ninjutsu, leaders and countries, code language, speed of hand sign weaving and so on. In addition, they trained extensively in ninjutsu, taijutsu, various forms of weapon styles. Saku worked a lot with her bloodline limit, as in extending the amount of time she could hold it activated, the length she could see and so on. Naegi focused a lot on weapons, since he could create any at any time. Fujin had started studying Fuinjtusu to an insane degree, using shadow clone jutsu to absorb all the knowledge Orochimaru could offer him. 

Six months later, Orochimaru brought them out on a boat. 

Fujin, Saku and Naegi sat huddled together in the front of the boat. The cool night wind not being very favourable for them as they only wore thin cloaks over their battle armor. The battle armour wasn't much either. A black sweater and pants, with armour plating looking much like Konoha's chuunin and jonin vests. Despite the cold, Fujin loved the trip. The smell of the sea, the sound of waves, the open ocean – it reminded him of home. A pang in his heart startled him. He hadn't even had the time to miss home during his time here before. There had been... too much. 

After Fujin had met Sonsho, a crazy man – a complete lunatic – Fujin had gone through torture in more ways than you could imagine. In the beginning it wasn't so bad, as Sonsho had specific orders not to fatally wound Fujin and try not to leave scars in any visible places. Fujin wasn't really sure why Orochimaru had been so adamant on that, but he'd rather not know. His torso however, was covered in scars from stabbing, deep gashes, whipping, burns and more. After Naegi's bloodline was activated and they could heal Fujin perfectly, the torture got even worse. 

However, despite what Sonsho did, he could not break Fujin with normal torture. However, the thing that made Fujin break was forever stuck in the boy's mind. He had been prepared for the usual beat ups, but Sonsho just walked in with his wicked smile. The silver haired man made a single hand sign, and a long metal rod shot up from the ground, piercing Fujin straight through the chest. It didn't retract. Fujin could feel himself slowly wither out as blood poured from his wounds and he screamed from the pain, but Sonsho simply pushed some of Naegi's blood into him, replenshing the blood that Fujin lost. This went on for hours – maybe days. 

Fujin unconsciously held his hand over where the rod had pierced him. Despite Naegi's perfect healing, the repetition of it had given Fujin a large scar on the centre of his chest. 

"Where are we going, Orochimaru-sama?" Fujin asked. Orochimaru was sitting on the other side of them, watching them carefully. 

"We are going to a paradise for rich people, an isolated island that you can't find on the map," Orochimaru replied. 

"Saku and Naegi will stay with me as guards, while you will fight opponents in the coliseum. In the coliseum, the rules are simple. The victor moves upwards in a tournament, while the loser is removed. However, each shinobi is owned by some wealthy person, and the looser loses his shinobi to the winner. It is an easy way for me to get strong soldiers. I bring them back with me to the hideout, break them in, and expand Oto's military," Orochimaru continued. Fujin nodded simply. 

"Is killing allowed?" Fujin asked. 

"Usually, but you are not to kill them. I need them," Orochimaru said. Fujin nodded again. "You will also need to conceal your identity," Orochimaru ordered. 

"Fuinjutsu henge then, should I prepare it for Saku and Naegi too?" Fujin asked. Orochimaru nodded. Fujin took out a brush and ink container from his pouch. He created a shadow clone that took the brush from him. Fujin removed his cloak and armor, along with his undershirt. The clone began writing a seal on his back. 

"Any specific look you want me to take?" Fujin asked. Orochimaru shook his head. Fujin closed his eyes for a minute. The clone formed a couple of hand seals before activating the seal. Fujin's blond and spiky hair turned black, and his green eyes turned blue. His birth marks disappeared as well as his scars. He dispelled the clone, putting his clothing back on. 

"Approved?" He asked. Orochimaru nodded in reply. 

He then proceeded to do the same to Naegi and Saku. Naegi gave himself ginger messy hair with dark brown eyes, while Saku turned her hair blond and turned her eyes purple. 

An hour or two later, they could see their destination. 

The island was like a huge mountain in the middle of nowhere. Orochimaru led them through a secret cave entrance which led to a traditional japanese styled port. After walking through the port, they arrived at a large city, with colourful light everywhere, along with loud music and endless chatter from rich, well dressed people. 

They followed the main street, which ended with a large dome shaped building. Fujin could hear the cheers of the spectators and the overly loud voice of the host before he even entered the building. 

Inside, the noise was even louder. Fujin felt like he should cover his ears to spare himself from the noise, but he had to remain professional. Orochimaru kept his sinister smile on his face, looking at Fujin with the message; Do not embarrass me. 

Fujin knew that he would be able to handle it regardless. 

"And now, the first match of the night! With the ID-tag of Madame Hoshino, Kaiju!" The host exclaimed. A large, muscular man stepped onto the stage. Roars and cheers spread through the area, applauding the man. 

"Analysis, Fujin," Orochimaru ordered. 

"A regular, by the looks of it. Many fans, since some of them are already placing bets without seeing the second opponent. A ninja, not higher than C-rank. Looks like a rogue nin from Iwa. By the looks of his body, a primarily brute fighter. Fights by tolerating his opponent's punches and bringing them down with heavy blows. Probably lacks speed by looking how long it took him to get to the platform. Other than his high defence, it's easy to assume that his speed and stamina is low," Fujin assessed. Orochimaru hummed in agreement. "Though, that doesn't mean I should underestimate him," Fujin added quickly. Orochimaru waved him off. 

"And now, his opponent! With the ID-tag of Lord Orochimaru – Raijin!" The host exclaimed. Fujin raised an eyebrow at Orochimaru, who smirked in reply. 

With a seal-less body flicker, Fujin teleported to the stage. The crowd was silent for a moment, they stared at Fujin with wide eyes. 

"This is just a kid!" Kaiju said. "I can't fight him, he'll be squished!" He continued. Fujin narrowed his eyes. 

"Save your comments until the match is over," Fujin said darkly. 

"L-Let the match begin!" The host exclaimed. 

Fujin shot forward, lighting chakra surrounding his fist as he jabbed Kaiju's shoulders quickly. He used Kaiju as a step as he shot himself even more upwards, before running through several hand seals. First, he created a shadow clone beside him, and the clone went through a series of hand seals of his own. 

"Water release: Great Gunshot!" The clone exclaimed. A large bullet of water shot towards Kaiju. 

"Lightning Release: Thunderclap arrow!" Fujin exclaimed at the same time as his clone attacked. He moulded a large ball of lighting in his hand, before throwing it at record speed towards the water bullet, merging the two jutsu. The electrified bullet of water crashed into Kaiju, making the man scream out in pain. He fell to the ground, positively fried from the lightning – but alive. 

"Kaiju's down! The winner is Raijin! Fitting name for someone who knows how to use two elements at such a young age! Now, who will defeat this rookie?" The host roared. 

"The second match, Raijin with the ID-tag of Orochimaru, versus a young man, wearing the ID-tag of Lord Zabuza – the son of the Uzukage – Akahiko!" The crowd roared again. Fujin stiffened, he began to shake slightly as his eyes widened. Walking up the stage, long red hair tied in a ponytail, dark blue eyes staring at Fujin with hard eyes – Akahiko – Fujin's big brother. 

Fujin wanted to call out to him, but he knew that Akahiko didn't recognise him because of his disguise, and if Fujin tried anything – Orochimaru could either attack Akahiko, or use Saku and Naegi to hold Fujin back. Despite his wished, Fujin knew... he couldn't make contact with Akahiko other than in battle. 

The match started. Fujin speeding ahead and meeting Akahiko in close quarter combat. The two brother's exchanged blows at a quick pace. 

"I thought you used lightning jutsu," Akahiko commented as they broke apart for a moment. Fujin bit his lip. "Quiet, are we?" Akahiko asked. Fujin closed his eyes for a moment, and that was all Akahiko needed to strike a punch at Fujin's jaw, sending the boy upwards. Fujin used his time in mid air to look at Orochimaru, who stared at him with narrowed eyes. 

"I heard that one of the Uzukage's sons disappeared, why would his heir be here?" Fujin asked. Akahiko stared at him for a moment. 

"It's true, my younger brother disappeared almost two years ago. Why I'm here, is none of your business," Akahiko said. Fujin landed on the ground softly, and the two shot towards each other. 

"How do you know I'm the heir?" Akahiko hissed to Fujin quietly. 

"You can't get free when you're stuck in a whirlpool," Fujin muttered quickly. Akahiko's eyes widened. "I can't lose," Fujin continued quickly. He channelled chakra to his hands as he punched Akahiko's guard with all his might, shooting the elder Uzumaki out of the ring. A cloud of dust surrounded the red-haired teen, and once the area cleared, he was gone. 

\- 

Ryuusuke sat behind his desk, albeit the wrong way. He watched the village he governed from the top of the Uzukage tower. There was large windows on every wall, giving the room a nice orange hue as the sun set. It had been a peaceful day, though he was still worried. On Akahiko's insistence, he had let his son leave with Zabuza for a training exercise. He knew that he had a seal on Akahiko just in case, and that Zabuza would not let anything happen to the kid if he valued his life. 

When Akahiko suddenly burst up the stairs that led into Ryuusuke's office, he wasn't sure what to think. The young Uzumaki, only fourteen years old, looked visibly shaken. 

"Father, how many knows about the fact that I will become the Uzukage after you?" Akahiko asked quickly. Ryuusuke raised an eyebrow. 

"Our family, along with Itachi and some of my closest friends, why?" He asked. 

"I was at the coliseum and -" 

"You were at the coliseum?! What was Zabuza thinking? I gave you the okay for a training exercise! Not gambling!" Ryuusuke scolded. 

"Father that's not the point! There was this kid, he couldn't have been older than eight! He knew about the fact that I was your heir, in addition, he knew the Uzu code for 'we're being watched'!" Akahiko exclaimed. 

"That is troubling, what's your theory?" Ryuusuke asked. 

"I believe that since he's just a kid, that he's actually a spy who was arrogant, boasting about the fact that he knows something your usual person doesn’t. He proved to be quite capable in fighting and could easily pass as one of the pre-academy students," Akahiko said. Ryuusuke nodded. 

"Sounds reasonable, very well. I'll ask the teachers to scan for him, what did he look like?" Ryuusuke asked. 

"Black messy hair, blue eyes, thin, but had defined muscles," Akahiko stated. "He wore grey plated armor over a black turtleneck and black pants," Akahiko continued. 

"Very well, now you'll get off easy from me, but you have to tell your mother exactly where you've been," Ryuusuke said. 

"Father, that means you're not letting me off easily at all," Akahiko deadpanned. Ryuusuke grinned at him. 

\-- 

Fujin grunted in pain as a third swordslash connected with his back. 

"Don't ever, speak to someone from your past," Orochimaru said form the side lines. Fujin nodded. He glanced behind him, seeing Sonsho's satisfied smile. 

"Good. Now, return to your room. Wel return to the coliseum again in two weeks, and we will continue to do so for as long as I see fit. Rest up well, you'll spend the entire day tomorrow in the pit," Orochimaru said and left. Fujin climbed to his feet, his back stinging as he felt blood pour from the wound. He walked out from the room he was in, trailing down the hall before entering his room. Saku and Naegi stared at him with concerned eyes. Naegi hurried over to him. 

"I'll heal you, please sit down," Naegi said. Fujin complied easily, sinking back to the ground with a whimper. Naegi had recently learned proper medical jutsu, and though it wasn't as efficient as his bloodline, it was more comfortable for him and for the people needing healing, as they wouldn't have to drink Naegi's blood – which was somewhat creepy and nauseating. 

"Did you tell him anything?" Saku asked. Fujin looked up at her. 

"Who?" 

"Akahiko," 

"No, or I tried. I used a code we learned from dad when we were younger, it's to say that we're being watched. I hope he understood that I was from Uzu, and would connect the fact that I'm young and literally didn't look any different other than a change in eye and hair colour and lack of birth marks than I usually do that the possibility of me being me was there. Since no one except our family and dad's closest comrades knows that Akahiko is the next Uzukage, I hope he'll understand that it was me under disguise, being watched, especially since I asked about myself," Fujin said. 

"Well, if he understood it he'll know that you were under Orochimaru, right?" Saku asked. 

"It would take an idiot not to notice that," 

\-- 

Fujin opened his eyes. He knew that he would have to get up soon, or else he would hear it from one of Orochimaru's henchmen who always got angry when they overslept. It had been around two years since Fujin, Saku and Naegi had forcefully been removed from Konoha. 

Naegi and Saku was already up, Saku sitting on her bed with a thoughtful expression – which was rare – and Naegi was in the bathroom. 

The door opened, revealing Orochimaru. 

"Lord Orochimaru, what are you doing here?" Fujin asked politely. 

"It seems I finally found some more use for you, Fujin, please follow me," Orochimaru said. Fujin hopped out of bed, grabbing his shirt on the way and pulled it over his scarred body. 

He trailed behind Orochimaru in silence, trying to figure out exactly what it was Orochimaru had planned. After a while, Orochimaru entered a large room. There were two surgery tables in the room, one of them occupied. Fujin stared at the body lying there. 

Spikey, golden hair. A white coat rimmed with red flames, a Konoha forehead protector and jonin vest. Fujin recognised that man. He'd seen pictures of him in his home. That was his grandfather, Minato Namikaze. 

"What is this?" Fujin asked. 

"Lay down on the table please," Orochimaru ordered. Fujin walked slowly over to the table, hoisting himself up. Orochimaru went over to Minato, placing a finger on the blonde's chest. Blue eyes sprang open, a bewildered look spreading across Minato's face. 

"Orochimaru!" Minato growled. 

"Hello, Minato," Orochimaru greeted with a drawl. "If you don't mind, I'm going to take the kyuubi now," Orochimaru said. Fujin's eyes widened. 

"Lord Orochimaru, the chances of me surviving a sealing of a bijuu is extremely low since I've already developed my chakra reserves – please reconsider!" Fujin exclaimed. 

"Fujin, your lineage makes you the perfect candidate for hosting a bijuu, besides, if things go wrong we can heal you nonetheless," Orochimaru said. Fujin met Minato's gaze. Blue, steeled eyes met terrified green. 

"And isn't this a fitting meeting? Grandfather finally meets grandson," Orochimaru said. Minato's eyes widened. 

"You're Ryuusuke's son?" He asked Fujin. Fujin nodded quickly. "Why are you here?" Minato asked. 

"I think that's enough questions," Orochimaru said. He weaved through a long sequence of hand seals, before he placed his palm over Minato's stomach. Bubbling red chakra flowed up from Minato, and Orochimaru quickly placed his other hand over Fujin. 

"Fuinjutsu: Demon Dragon Seal," Orochimaru stated. The red chakra shot towards Fujin, slamming into the boy's stomach. Fujin screamed in pain as the burning chakra crashed into him. It felt like his entire body was on fire – much like the time when Orochimaru tried the genetic acceleration on him. Fujin's throat burned as Fujin continued to scream. The pain was almost unbearable. 

After a while, the final drops of chakra had entered Fujin's body. His shirt was torn right over where a fresh seal now was visible on his stomach, irritated red skin around it. Fujin stopped screaming, instead panting heavily as he tried to get used to his vastly expanded chakra coils. Fujin scanned the room, finding a couple of syringes with a red liquid in them. As Fujin looked closer, he saw that they were labelled as 'healing'. Fujin stared at them for a while, before his gaze wandered to Minato, who was watching Orochimaru, who was staring at a screen in the corner of the room. 

Fujin wasn't wearing restraints at the moment. Orochimaru believed him to still be a loyal pet. The kyuubi chakra flooded his system, and Fujin shot across the room, grabbing four of syringes before body flickering to Minato's side. He jabbed the four needles into Minato, injecting Naegi's blood. Fujin's now red eyes, glared at Orochimaru, who was staring back at Fujin with hard eyes. 

"What do you think you're doing?" Orochimaru asked. Fujin growled. Red chakra began to seep out from him, before some of it darkened remarkably. Black markings appeared on Fujin's arms as his skin darkened in colour, turning black with a reddish glow. He quickly cut Minato's restraints with his nails turned claws, letting the adult Namikaze jump to his legs. 

"Something I should have done a long time ago," Fujin said darkly. He grabbed Minato's arm and sped out of the room. The kyuubi chakra left him, but his strength remained. He slammed the door to his room open, Saku and Naegi sitting there with now wide eyes. 

"We have to move, now!" Fujin screamed. Minato looked around them with narrowed eyes before he grabbed Fujin's arm harder and hurried over to Saku and Naegi. He grabbed Naegi's shoulder and looked at Saku. 

"Hold onto me tightly!" He said to her quickly. Saku did as told, hugging Minato around the waist as she closed her eyes. As Orochimaru entered the room, a furious expression on his face, he didn't even have time to blink before his priced subjects disappeared in a yellow flash. 

\- 

Fujin crashed into the ground as he reappeared somewhere. When he opened his eyes, he found himself on a wooden floor. 

"What the hell?" A voice shouted. Suddenly, Fujin felt a blade pressed to his neck. 

"Move, and you're dead," a voice muttered. Fujin looked around him, or at least the best he could from his position on the floor. From the looks of it, he was in an office. 

"Obito?" Minato asked. 

"Minato-sensei?" The voice from earlier asked – Obito – Fujin guessed. "Release them," Obito ordered. The blade on Fujin's neck was removed, and the blond sat up. 

"You three... oh my god," Obito said with wide eyes. Fujin blinked, before his brain connected the dots. 

"Uncle!" Fujin exclaimed. Saku and Naegi was just has happy as Fujin was. 

"Wait – if Uncle Obito is here – where are we?" Naegi asked. 

"You're in Konoha, in my office – to be exact," Obito replied, still slightly taken aback. 

"We're in Konoha?" Fujin asked. He looked at Minato who smiled at him in reply. 

Fujin was about to ask another question when a powerful presence suddenly appeared in the room. Fujin jumped to his feet, spinning around as he looked at the newcomer – newcomers, actually. 

There, right in front of the door leading out of the office, stood three people Fujin recognised immediately. Aunt Eon, with her short black hair and dark eyes, with the long leather jacket and grey themed jonin outfit. Aunt Yuki, with her mid length battle kimono, soft pink hair and gentle blue eyes. His father, with the white cloak framed with red flames, much like Fujin's grandfather, the blue eyes that usually were twinkling with mirth, which were now wide in shock – the same blond hair as Fujin himself. Fujin began to shake as he tried to find something to say. 

Suddenly, the three adults were gone, and Fujin found himself trapped in a strong embrace. Tears spilled from Fujin's eyes as he recognised the feeling. 

"Dad!" Fujin sobbed. Ryuusuke held him even closer. 

"Fujin! My boy, my little boy!" He cried. He broke apart the embrace, checking over Fujin's body quickly, he noticed the seal on Fujin's stomach. "What happened?" He asked quickly. Minato intercepted before Fujin could answer. 

"I'll explain later, first, we should get the kids checked at the hospital," Minato said. Eon and Yuki also broke apart the hugging of their children. 

"You're right," Ryuusuke said. He looked at Fujin reluctantly. "I have to get Sakura," he looked at Minato. "Watch him carefully, I-" 

"I understand," Minato said gently. Ryuusuke disappeared in a flash and reappeared only a few seconds later. Yet, within that little time span, Fujin felt his heart hammer in his chest, the fear of not seeing his father again hitting him hard. Then, when his father returned, his mother was next to him. 

Sakura, as soon as she saw Fujin, caught the boy in yet another embrace. She cried tears of happiness as she got to hold her boy once more. Ryuusuke created two shadow clones. 

"I'll get Kousuke and Yachi to meet us at the hospital, we should go there now," Ryuusuke said. The others nodded. Sakura lifted Fujin up with ease, carrying the sobbing boy as Ryuusuke walked as close as he could, his eyes not leaving Fujin for a second. Eon and Yuki carried Saku and Naegi respectively, as they too were very shaken about the entire situation. 

They arrived at the hospital not soon after, having been in quite the hurry. They easily got the kids sorted into one common room, where Tsunade and some nurses checked over the kids. The parents were left in the waiting area on Tsunade's strict recommendation. 

After the check-ups were done, the kids had passed out from exhaustion, sleeping softly in their beds. Ryuusuke turned to look at Minato. 

"Dad, what is going on?" Ryuusuke asked. "Not just the kids, but you are..." 

"Alive?" Minato asked. Ryuusuke nodded. 

"I woke up not long ago, probably an hour? Things happened very fast. I was strapped to a table with Orochimaru looming over me. Fujin was lying on a table nearby. Orochimaru extracted half of the kyuubi chakra that I had sealed within myself the day of your birth and sealed it within Fujin. Once Fujin got his bearings, he used the kyuubi chakra to free me and lead me to a bedroom where Saku and Naegi was, I teleported them to Konoha soon after," Minato explained. 

"They were at Orochimaru's?! That bastard snake – he's going to die for this!" Ryuusuke growled. 

"I agree," Tsunade said. Ryuusuke turned to her with a raised eyebrow. Tsunade sighed. 

"Let's speak in private, all of you," She said and lead the parents, Minato and Obito into the kids' room. Tsunade held a clipboard in her hand tightly. 

"We worked as fast as we could with the test results," she started. "I'll go through what we found in order, so we'll start with Saku," Tsunade said. 

"Saku is in perfect health, though we can clearly see the results of extreme training. She has some light scarring here and there, but nothing that would cause alarm. Most likely, she has seen some battles already. Her chakra coils are very developed, alike to something you would see in a high levelled chuunin. There has been surgery performed on her vision centre in the brain, she shows signs of awakening a visual bloodline limit. That's the physical, though I strongly wish to check her mental later, if they were with Orochimaru," Tsunade said. She sighed. 

"Naegi is in the best shape of the three, he has no visual scars at all. His body stronger than any other. When we drew blood from him, the wound closed up immediately. A sign of the healing bloodline limit, just much stronger. He has the chakra capacity of a high levelled jonin. The full extent of his capabilities remains unknown, as we can only see so much from the tests we took now," Tsunade assessed. She sent Ryuusuke and Sakura a worried glance. 

"Fujin... is by far the worst off in terms of physical health," Tsunade started. "His chakra coils have been very strained, but that is most likely because of the recent sealing. They are quickly mending as a result of the healing kyuubi chakra. Because of the new expansion, his chakra pool is that of a high levelled jonin, perhaps more. It will most likely continue to grow because of the kyuubi," Tsunade said. 

"The troubling thing about Fujin, is the amount of scarring he has," Tsunade started. She stared at Ryuusuke, who paled drastically. "He has scars from one form of wounds to another, everywhere on his torso. There are few places where there isn't any scarring at all, but some of them aren't extremely visible. Others however, are that of someone who has survived a mortal blow, yet somehow survived. He has a scar in the centre of his chest that suggests that he has been impaled. How he survived it all, is a mystery. But this is certainly a case of extreme torture, and if they were with Orochimaru, I'm not really surprised," Tsunade said. Ryuusuke, who had been very upset form the beginning, was shaking with anger. 

"I will tear him into pieces!" He growled. Sakura grabbed his hand. 

"Dear, I agree with you that he has to pay – but we need to focus on Fujin," she said softly. The two looked at each other for a moment, before Ryuusuke took a deep breath, calming down somewhat. 

"For now, my recommendation is to keep them under supervision in the hospital for another day at least and bringing in an unbiased Yamanaka to check on their mental space. Though I will warn all of you, these kids have been through a lot. They have been without all of you for two years, surviving in what I can assume would be like pure hell. They might not be the same kid that you knew, and they might not be as easy to handle," Tsunade said. The parents nodded in understanding. 

"After we've cleared them from the hospital, we'll make sure that they are properly checked on mentally for at least the first month. After that, you can eventually discuss enrolment to the academy. It could be good for them to have a contact with people their age and a sense of peace," Tsunade said. "I also want them to come back at the end of each month for the next six months to make sure that there aren't anything that we missed," Tsunade finished. 

"Now, we should let them rest. I'll get some more chairs so you all have somewhere to sit, Obito, Minato, if you could help," Tsunade said. 

Ryuusuke, Eon and Yuki exchanged worried glances. Ryuusuke walked over to Fujin, brushing a strand of hair away from his face. 

"It's going to be fine now, you're home," he whispered. 


	2. Fujin tries to kill Kakashi

Fujin woke up at 5am sharp like usual. He  yawned , dragged himself out of bed, walked towards the bathroom before he'd even opened his eyes. He should have done it this time. He smacked into a wall. The boy snapped his eyes open. An unfamiliar area was around him, though it didn't take him much time to realize that he was in a hospital.

It was then yesterday's events flashed through his brain. He walked over to the window, seeing the sun rise over Konoha. A relived breath escaped him as he looked back at  Naegi and  Saku , who were both beginning to wake as well. 

"Good morning,"  Fujin said to them.

"Good morning,  Fujin ,"  Saku yawned as she took got out of bed. 

"You don't have to get up,"  Fujin said as he ventured back into his bed. 

" Wha -?"  Saku asked before the realization hit her as well. A wide, happy grin spread across her face.

"We're home!" She exclaimed.

"Why on earth are you awake now?" A voice said drowsily.  Naegi's eyes widened as he recognised the voice.

"Dad!"  Naegi exclaimed as he threw himself into  Kousuke's lap.  Kousuke ruffled  Naegi's hair affectionally as he hugged his son closer.

"Hey there kid!" He grinned.

"Uncle  Kousuke ,"  Fujin greeted politely. He silently cursed himself. How did he not notice his uncle? 

"We decided to take shifts on watching you during the night, as there isn't enough space for all of us here, but the others will come when it's a more reasonable hour. Go back to sleep,"  Kousuke said.

"I'm pretty sure I'm enough rested," Fujin said dryly.  Naegi shrugged with a small smile while Saku grinned. 

"I'm ready for today's workout!" She said happily. Kousuke raised a n eyebrow.

"Workout? You guys aren't leaving the hospital yet. We still need to make sure that you're okay," Kousuke said.

"We have  Naegi's healing, why shouldn't we be okay?" Saku asked. Fujin traced a hand over his stomach.

" Orochimaru sealed the nine-tails in me," Fujin stated. Saku and  Naegi turned around to look at him with wide eyes.

"What?"  Naegi asked.

"The thing he wanted to use me for, it was to become a  jinchuuriki ," Fujin explained. 

"Are you okay?" Saku asked. Fujin nodded, though he grimaced uncertainly.

"I feel fine, but my chakra coils were forcefully expanded, I'd guess that I actually have more than  Naegi ," Fujin said.  Naegi's eyes widened.

"An expansion to such a degree, are you sure you're fine?"  Naegi asked. Fujin nodded.

"Honestly, I just want to  make sure that the seal is properly done and then get back to training," Fujin replied.  Naegi scoffed. 

"It's always training with you," he said. 

"Neither of you will be doing any training before Lady  Tsunade has released you from the hospital. In addition to that, you'll be required to do some psych checks," Kousuke said. Fujin shrugged.

"I guess that's reasonable," he muttered. The door opened, and Eon along with  Yachi came inside.

"You're up early," Kousuke commented. Eon scoffed lightly.

"You're the one who usually oversleeps," Eon said. She looked at Saku.

"How are you feeling?" She asked with an unusual softness. 

"I'm fine, mom," Saku replied with a smile. She hurried over to give both Eon and  Yachi a hug. 

"Yuki is going to be a bit late, for one she isn't even up yet, and she has a team meeting at eight. Though she's going to give the kids the day off, but she won't be here before that," Eon said. Kousuke nodded. 

" Ryuusuke is currently in  Uzu giving orders to  Itachi so he can be absent for some time. He's also getting  Akahiko to bring  Umi , Sora and Minato," Eon continued.

" Umi ?" Fujin asked. The adults in the room glanced at each other uncertainly. A pregnant silence enveloped the room. Fujin stared at the adults blankly, waiting for their answer.

"Your little sister," Eon finally said. "Sakura got pregnant one month prior to your capture," Eon explained. Fujin bit his lip.

"I see," he said. A small smile  grew on him. "She's about a year old then?" Fujin asked. Eon nodded with a smile. 

"Sakura should be here soon, but not everyone wakes up at five," Eon said with a smirk.

"It's a habit," Fujin said. The room stilled slightly.

"Are we going to have breakfast soon?" Saku exclaimed, breaking the  short-lasting silence. Eon  chuckled. 

"I'll go get some,"  Yachi said.

-

When the clock struck ten, the parents along with  Obito , Minato and  Tsunade had gathered in the hospital room. Fujin, Saku and  Naegi all sat on one bed, slightly huddled together for emotional support.

"Now, for us to properly examine you, we need to know what happen. You don't have to tell us now, or you can even tell me or another medical ninja privately, or the three of you can speak with me alone. If you  absolutely don't want to share, we can wait,"  Tsunade said. Fujin, Saku and  Naegi exchanged looks.

"There are different sides of the story," Fujin said. "We were  sepa rated for around a year," he continued. 

"Me and Saku got reunited six months before Fujin came back,"  Naegi added. Saku nodded in agreement. 

"Okay then,"  Tsunade said. "We can hear it one by one, if you want to?"  Tsunade continued. The three kids  exchanged looks again, before nodding.

"I suppose it started with the day of the third part of the  chuunin exam, wh en we were kidnapped. We decided to play around instead of going directly to the stadium. We were in the outskirts of the village when  Orochimaru came. He knocked us out and brought us to his hideout in Oto,"  Naegi said.

"I was the first to wake up," Fujin said. " Orochimaru explained that he was going to make us stronger... I didn't really understand what he meant at first. After we were all up,  Orochimaru came to get us. On our way, Saku was brought in a different direction. Me and  Naegi were put in something like a surgery hall," Fujin explained.

"It was a genetically altering experiment, meant to activate locked genes to give us the best ability our body could offer. It was successful on me. The Uzumaki healing bloodline, chakra weapon,  long-lived , stronger body and soul, everything was activated and perfected. Though, it was dangerous. I was put in a pod of a sort. It stabilized me while the bloodlines settled,"  Naegi explained.

"The experiment doesn't seem to have any effect on me, it just was a pain in the ass for a long time," Fujin said.  Naegi scoffed.

"To put it simply," he said. Fujin nudged him with a snort.

"Despite the situation, I didn't want to submit to  Orochimaru . He decided to break me in instead, and I spent the time before I met  Naegi and Saku again with a man called  Sonsho Shinryuaku , followed by rehabilitation for who knows how long.  Sonsho was...  is a lunatic who truly fancies the arts of making people beg for their lives. He... he knew you , dad," Fujin said.  Ryuusuke's eyes widened.

"He had grey hair, yellow eyes. Dressed in semi traditional clothing  coloured red and black. He had three claw made scars on his face. From under his eye and down his jaw," Fujin described.  Ryuusuke paled slightly, before a furious expression appeared on him.

"I swear to god, that man will wish he died after that time!"  Ryuusuke growled. Sakura stared at  Ryuusuke worriedly.

"Who is he?" Fujin asked.  Ryuusuke shook his head.

"I'll tell you later, it's a long story,"  Ryuusuke said. Fujin stared at him for a couple of seconds, before sighing in defeat.

" Orochimaru brought me into surgery. He used the same genetically altering procedure on me, which activated my  sharingan . After the discovery of  Naegi's healing, he managed to  somehow  merge the  byakugan and  sharingan . I spent the remaining time before  Naegi was released from the healing pod to heal by myself," Saku explained shortly.

"When I got out of the pod, Saku and I were brought back into the room we first arrived in. After we'd been in the facility for a year, we were brought into what is called the pit. The pit is a battle arena for  all of Orochimaru's soldiers. We'd received intense training before that, but the pit was where our abilities truly were put to the test. Some weeks later, Fujin appeared,"  Naegi continued.

"...after everything, I was quite gone for a while. My loyalty to  Orochimaru became a fact of life. If he wanted me to kill someone, I did it without remorse. If it hadn't been for  Naegi and Saku, I would have remained his weapon. After a while,  Orochimaru decided to bring us to a place called the coliseum, a combat gambling establishment on a hidden island," Fujin explained.

"I met  Akahiko there," Fujin said.  Ryuusuke's eyes widened.

"What?" The adults in the room chorused.

" Orochimaru made us wear disguises, most likely because of the chance of that exact scenario.  Akahiko didn't recognise me obviously, but I recognised him.  Orochimaru has his ways of overhearing conversations, obviously, so I was limited in what I  could say.  So, I told him that I knew he was the heir, and when he asked me I told him the code of 'we're being watched' in hope that he would guess that something was amiss. The fact that I and the persona I was taking were the same age, in addition to the fact that I belonged to  Orochimaru was announced, that I knew he was the heir and knew one of  Uzu's code – it shouldn't have been  too difficult to at least plant the seed of doubt," Fujin explained.  Ryuusuke laughed a half-hearted laugh.

" Akahiko was certain you were an arrogant spy in  Uzu ,"  Ryuusuke said. Fujin pressed his lips together, as if he wanted to say something – then, laughter spilled out from him loudly.

"Oh god! This is great! I'll be able to hold this over him for years!" Fujin laughed. The other people joined him with some light laughter of their own, not really that they found the information so hilarious, but that Fujin found it so funny. 

"Anyway, after  that things were relatively normal. We had training, pit fighting, an occasional trip to the coliseum. Sure, it was a harsh training regime, but I mean it's what we've always done," Saku said.

"It wasn't until yesterday that  Orochimaru suddenly decided to seal the  Kyuubi within me that things started to happen again, and honestly I hope that was the last surprise for some while now," Fujin added dryly. 

"That doesn't explain why Minato-sensei is alive,"  Obito stated. 

"Huh?  Orochimaru used the  edo-tensei by using the death reaper mask from the Uzumaki temple here in Konoha, what else?" Fujin said. The adults blinked blankly at him for a second.

"But he isn't an  edo- tensei ,"  Tsunade stated. 

" Uhh , I did insert a  fuck load of  Naegi's blood directly in him while I was affected by the  kyuubi chakra," Fujin said. 

"The  Kyuubi chakra when in the  non-hostile form has the same properties of nature chakra, it can create life to a certain degree. If you amplify it with  Naegi's perfect healing –  something  that might have been inherited after Yuki awakened Ashura's chakra, well... it might be enough for a full  resurrection ,"  Ryuusuke theorized. 

"That's insane," Kousuke said.

"It's the only logical explanation," Eon stated.

"Anyway, we're going to do some more tests today,"  Tsunade started. "First, all of you have an appointment with a Yamanaka to do a psych check. Then we're going to run you through some physical tests – as in strength and combat ability – and some intelligence tests. If those clear out, we're going to have you under observation until tomorrow morning. For the next month you'll be observed by ANBU, who will make sure nothing happens to you or anything or anyone around you. If everything goes well, you can  enrol into the academy if you want to. I would recommend it, as it would be good for you to spend time with kids your age,"  Tsunade said. The three kids nodded in understanding. 

"Now, we'll first have the Yamanaka come here for the check, before going for the physical tests will have to get you some proper clothing,"  Tsunade said. 

"We can go buy some," Sakura and Yuki said.  Tsunade nodded. 

" Ryuusuke , your kids should be arriving at the train station soon, I suggest you go pick them up in the meanwhile and explain the situation to them,"  Tsunade said.  Ryuusuke looked at her, his eyes narrowing slightly. 

"Fine," he said. 

"Great, now I'd like a second alone with the kids, so go and do something productive,"  Tsunade said. The adults grumbled slightly, some of them not really wanting to separate from the kids at all.  Tsunade looked at the three with gentle eyes.

"I want to ask you before your parents come in and lay plans, what do you want to do?"  Tsunade asked.  Naegi , Saku and Fujin exchanged glances.

"I want to  continue training to be a ninja. I don't want to feel so helpless like I did at  Orochimaru's , I want to protect my friends," Fujin said.

"Being a ninja is something I've always wanted to be, and now it's basically the only thing I know. I'd also like to continue, but... I just want to be with you two," Saku said, looking at Fujin and  Naegi with a wide smile. 

"I agree with both of them,"  Naegi said. "And one of us  has to at least try to keep the others out of  trouble , right?" He continued with a grin. 

"Fujin,"  Tsunade said. "Your family would most likely want you in  Uzu with them. I suggest you think about some solution. I am  pretty certain that Saku and  Naegi's family will also want them to stay with them, so if you three  want to stay together, you'll need some way to make it work,"  Tsunade said. 

"My plan was always to go to Konoha's academy," Fujin said.  Tsunade nodded thoughtfully.

"Konoha's academy is a good reason to stay here, but to do that, you need to be in a condition where the Council will see you as safe. I suggest you be completely honest during the tests, so that if there is an issue we can help you with it,"  Tsunade said. "Saku and  Naegi are Konoha citizens, but you are not Fujin. You need a convincing case if you want to stay here considering the circumstances,"  Tsunade stood up.

"A Yamanaka will meet with each of one of you, they'll bring you to a separate room where you can talk," She said before walking towards the door. Halfway out, she looked back at the kids.

"Good luck," she said before she left.

-

Ryuusuke , Sakura, Eon,  Yachi , Yuki and Kousuke sat around a long table in the hospital.  Tsunade sat on the end on the table with three files in front of her.

"I figured that I could take this with all of you together, as you'll tell each other about the results at a later date anyway,"  Tsunade said. "The kids are prepping for their physical exams, eating and resting up. For now, what I want you to focus on is their mental states,"  Tsunade continued.

"The recurring theme is their  dependence on each other. Though there are key differences as well,"  Tsunade said. 

"Saku is the most emotionally dynamic of the three. She has a higher tendency of fear, and she admitted of a fear of darkness. She was blinded for a long time during her stay with  Orochimaru , which didn't help her case. So, with a slight case of  separation anxiety and a somewhat extreme fear of darkness, she will probably need some help to overcome them, but it might just need some time. Keeping her close to Fujin and  Naegi for the time being before getting her used to being on her own, probably something that won't be that difficult as they are in a much safer environment now,"  Tsunade explained.

"Fujin, despite everything, seems fine mentally. He is  not notably  guarded and answered every question asked. Of  cour se ,  Yamanaka Toshiko who talked with him didn't ask him anything specific. It was kept mostly to what he felt and such,"  Tsunade explained. "If anything, I would be worried about the lack of problems he has. We did some general intelligence tests as well, Fujin is way above the average. By speculating, I would say that the experiment  Orochimaru did on the three worked differently on Fujin, increasing his intelligence instead of body,"  Tsunade said. "For Fujin, I'd like him to remain under supervision a bit more closely than the rest. After what we heard from the other two, after being tortured Fujin was unquestionably loyal to  Orochimaru , it took them a while to make him think for himself, so it is worth looking into,"

" Naegi is the most guarded out of the three. He was very hesitant about asking questions, often asking why the therapist wanted to know. We managed to discover that he has an  intense need of protecting Fujin and Saku. His healing abilities and the fact that Fujin was so close to death so many times during their stay, in addition to the wounds Saku would suffer in the pit and her isolation, he feels like they need him. His dependency on the others is much larger than the rest. On the other hand,  Naegi has not killed anyone, unlike Fujin and Saku. He has a good heart, wanting to protect more than anything. As Saku,  separating him from the others could  prove hazardous, but given time and the opportunity to meet other people their age, a better environment, I'm certain that he will be able to mellow down a bit,"  Tsunade continued.

"To conclude, they all have problems that could be a challenge, but given time and space to get used to not being a prisoner, to make friends with people in a safe environment without feeling intense pressure, they will be able to live with the past. The problems will most likely not go away, but they can learn to handle them in a proper way,"  Tsunade said. She looked at  Ryuusuke and Sakura.

"They have expressed wishes of staying together. I'm pretty sure they would convince you of this by themselves, but I have an idea,"  Tsunade said.  Ryuusuke raised an eyebrow.

"Because of the connection between  Uzu and Konoha, the easy access and such, I believe it would be best if we found living arrangements for Fujin in Konoha,"  Tsunade said.

"What?!"  Ryuusuke exclaimed. "There is no way I'll leave Fujin alone again after he's finally back!"  Ryuusuke argued. 

"While I agree with your reasoning, Lady  Tsunade , but Fujin living in Konoha away from us, his family, might not help him. He needs to get a sense of normal as well, he needs to get used to being with his family again. If we live separate from each other, he will never get  used to us," Sakura said. She grabbed  Ryuusuke's hand comfortingly.

"I'm not saying that he should only live in Konoha,"  Tsunade said."I want him to live both in  Uzu and Konoha. Letting him move freely between the villages by train, letting him live with his family and stay in Konoha whenever he wants. He could be with Saku and  Naegi during the day, and he could eat dinner at home and go to bed there. I want to give him his own apartment that he can stay in if he pleases, because travelling back and forth might be a hassle after a while. In addition, it will give the three of them a place to stay if they want to be for themselves,"  Tsunade said.

"We can discuss it in more detail after the physical exams are done, I have to oversee them,"  Tsunade said and stood up.

"Wait,  Tsunade ,"  Ryuusuke said. "I'm sorry if I've seemed rude or anything – it's just..."  Tsunade shook her head, interrupting  Ryuusuke . 

"I understand, he's your son and you don't want to be separated. I get it,"  Tsunade said. 

"I'm worked up, I know,"  Ryuusuke said. "Fujin... had I been watching them better, if I'd placed my teleportation seal on him – anything! Had I killed that bastard  Sonsho when I had the chance!" 

"Wait, you know  Sonsho ?"  Tsunade asked.  Ryuusuke nodded.

"He was the man who tortured me when I was taken from Konoha after the  chuunin exam. When  Itachi saved  me I saw him in broad daylight. I lost control over the  kyuubi and slashed him across the face. That's where his scar is from,"  Ryuusuke explained.

"Regardless of that,  Ryuusuke , this isn't your fault. None of you are to blame about what happens. Now all you  have to think about is what's best for your kids. Be a support for them, but don't pressure them,"  Tsunade said before she left.

-

Fujin stared as Saku fought Kakashi Hatake. A  jonin who had been their  parents' teacher along with the  Hokage . He knew Kakashi was  a S-ranked elite  jonin . During his time with  Orochimaru , he had researched every ninja in the bingo book and exhausted any information  Orochimaru had to offer.

He knew Kakashi was going easy on them. Not underestimating them, no, but he made sure not to hurt anyone. Saku was the best  taijutsu user out of the three. Her  sharingan and  byuakugan made it so she had no blind spots, she could predict movement and act on them almost perfectly. Obviously, having the  sharingan for only a year could only teach you so much. But she was doing exceptionally well. Saku, being so afraid of blindness, had developed a technique that allowed her to share her vision with others, as well as others to share vision with her. Fujin was working on a seal that would make it possible for them to do that without needing physical contact, but the approval of both parts regardless. It was a work in progress, but if it worked, it could be an outline of a great discovery.

Tsunade stopped the fight, switching Saku out with  Naegi . 

Naegi was a tank. He wasn't as skilled in  taijutsu as Saku, but he could take the hits that hit him. Any wound suffered would heal, and he was good to go. His ace in the sleeve was his chakra weapons, being able to  us e them extensively without suffering exhaustion. Kakashi, who had experience with the  jutsu because of  Naegi's mother, was not especially surprised for anything other than the fact that  Naegi was able to use it so well at such a young age.

After a while,  Tsunade stopped  Naegi's match. Eyes fell on Fujin, and he walked towards Kakashi calmly. 

"I want you to fight me with everything you got," Kakashi said. Fujin looked at him blankly.

"I'm not sure about that," Fujin stated. He took a deep breath entering a defensive position. 

"I would expect you to attack first, if you were anything like your father," Kakashi said. Fujin narrowed his eyes.

"My dad and I are very different, I know that starting a fight would give you the opportunity to  analyse my fighting style. While it would be safer for me to enter a fight on my own terms, and gaining  intelligence on your defensive situation, I already know  l ots about you from  Orochimaru's archives," Fujin stated. 

"You gained a lot of information from him, didn't you?" Kakashi asked. Fujin's eyes darkened. 

"I gained information from his  journal s and files, not him," Fujin said.

"Enough talk," Kakashi said. He vanished, before reappearing behind Fujin. Fujin spun around, ready to block when Kakashi struck at him. Then, it went black. 

-

"Fujin!" 

Fujin groggily opened his eyes. A distant voice ringing in his ear.

" _ Fujin!"  _

Fujin inhaled sharply. He sat up abruptly as he looked around himself bewildered.

"Calm down!"  Naegi's voice called. A pair of familiar arms grabbed his shoulders.  _ Saku.  _ Fujin recalled. 

"What happened?" Fujin asked. 

"You lost it in the fight," Saku said. She let go of Fujin's shoulder, sitting back down in a chair. Fujin looked  around himself. 

"Are we in the hospital?" Fujin asked.  Naegi nodded.

"We were left alone for the time being. You're lucky Kakashi is as strong as he is, you could have killed anyone on a lower level. The  kyuubi chakra has amplified your usual strength," he  said. 

"You had the intent to kill, it was like you were in the pit," Saku said.

"That's what I thought I was," Fujin muttered. 

"You had flashbacks?"  Naegi asked. Fujin nodded.

"We should tell  Tsunade ," Fujin said.

"If they know we won't know what they'll do to you,"  Naegi argued. 

"If we don't tell them and I accidentally kill someone because I had a flashback we will know, and it won't be pretty," Fujin retorted. 

"If we tell  Tsunade she might be able to help you as well," Saku added. Fujin nodded.

"I'll say this once," Fujin said. "We won't be separated. It's not going to happen. If I  have to break out of prison, if I have to escape the country, I will not let them separate us," Fujin said as he balled his hand into a fist, pointing it in the middle of Saku and  Naegi .

"Neither will I,"  Naegi said, pushing his own fist into Fujin's.

"Same goes for me, they got a storm coming if they think they can split us apart now," Saku said and pushed her fist into the boys'. 

-

Tsunade ,  Ryuusuke and  Obito sat in the  hokage's office. The three adults looked at a file which was laid in front of  Obito on his desk.

"They are stronger than most  chuunin ,"  Obito stated. "And they are barely eight," he said tiredly.

"After getting used to being in Konoha properly and having spent time with their families, Saku and  Naegi could enter the academy and get used to Konoha's ninja code, in addition to socializing with people their age after a couple  of months,"  Tsunade said.

"After a further experiment, Fujin has a problem with touch against anyone other than  Naegi , Saku,  Ryuusuke and Sakura. He accidentally broke a nurse's arm ear li er. When engaged in combat, as seen when he fought Kakashi, he gets vivid flashbacks of being in the pit back at  Orochimaru's , where they had to fight with the intent to kill. Before that reaction is gone, it's unsafe to enter him at the academy,"  Tsunade said with a sigh.

"But we stand by the fact that we don't want to separate the kids, right?"  Obito asked.  Ts unade nodded. 

"Separating them could compromise their loyalty to either village,"  Tsunade said. " The council will most  likely see Fujin as a hazard more than an asset, we need to change that. Saku and  Naegi's bloodlines are invaluable to the village, and their loyalty is depending on us providing with a good home for them. Fujin is extremely strong in his own right, showing extreme levels of  intell ige nce and as a  jinchuuriki , giving the village strength. If Fujin becomes a Konoha ninja, Konoha will be the only village that has a  jinchuuriki other than  Uzu ,"  Tsunade continued. "It should be enough to convince them, especially  Danzo , who will most likely try to get Fujin for himself,"  Tsunade said.  Ryuusuke rolled his eyes.

"That's not going to happen anyway, but I have an idea,"  Ryuusuke said. "Fujin gets private tutoring in  Uzu by my best instructors, we teach him how to restrain himself. He will start the same time as Saku and  Naegi starts the academy. His day would consist of training in  Uzu during the time Saku and  Naegi are at the academy, before going home to Konoha after they're done. He will this way be able to be with Saku and  Naegi in the afternoons and at night, if they so wish. I would say that we will be able to get Fujin's control back before graduation, if it looks blea k , we can keep him in  Uzu full time during their second to last year at the academy. If he's good after that, we'll admit him to Konoha's academy during the last year, and he'll be able to make friends with his peers here in school before graduation,"  Ryuusuke said.  Tsunade and  Obito nodded.

"Good  idea , we'll go with it. I expect things to go as  planne d, Ryuu . Other than that, I'll convince the council. Don't worry about it.  Ryuu , your apartment here still stands untouched other than your occasional visits, we can prepare it so that Fujin and perhaps even Saku and  Naegi can live there, or should we get them somewhere new?"  Obito asked. 

"Get them somewhere new, I'll pay for it. They deserve a larger space, somewhere they can train privately. They probably would like to sleep in the same room, so it needs a large bedroom. In addition, Fujin likes studying, he always has – we should get them enough space so that they can use any room however they want,"  Ryuusuke rambled.

" A small compound it is then,"  Obito mumbled. "The best place would be the Uchiha compound, since it's mostly closed off and has a lot of space and private training grounds,"  Obito said.

"But, the compound is not available unless I make some special  arrangements .  Sasuke and his daughter  Asuka lives there under supervision from ANBU. The council didn't want  Sasuke to be able to walk around the village freely  after everything, and  Asuka has been put under the same conditions,"  Obito said. 

"Though, there is a compound right outside the Uchiha compound,"  Obito said. "It is actually a neighbour. Very  few people go to the area because of the Uchiha's, so it would be very private. It would also let me anything know if anything happens, because ANBU would be so nearby. The compound is not extremely large, but it got what they need. Though it needs some fixing up, I'll get people on it right away,"  Obito said.  Ryuusuke and  Tsunade nodded in approval.

"I'll brief the others,  Ryuusuke you go talk with Sakura,  Tsunade you can tell the kids, they seem to trust you,"  Obito said. 

"Right,"  Ryuusuke said and stood up. "After this is cleared up, we should all get together for dinner. It's been a while since we were all gathered, after all,"  Ryuusuke said.  Obito grinned.

"Count on it," he said.

-

Fujin, Saku and  Naegi wasn't exactly sure how to feel about the upcoming family dinner. Yuki had informed them of it not long ago and helped them get ready before leaving to the  Hatake compound together. 

To say that it was quiet would be a lie. They could hear chatter and children playing before they even entered the house. 

However, the moment they entered, the house became  unnaturally quiet. The first one to come to greet them was a stumbling toddler with vibrant red hair and  sky-blue eyes.

" Fuu-nii !" The young girl exclaimed.

The toddler rushed into Fujin, hanging onto around his waist with a grinning expression. Fujin stared at her, his hands fidgeting. Naegi and Saku grabbed his hands, shaking him out of his surprise.   
"Umi," he tried. The little girl nodded, still grinning widely.

"Ah, you've arrived!" Obito came into the hallway. He was holding a large plate, stuffed with different kinds of food.   
"Come to the living room, everyone is there!" Obito said. The three nodded in reply, getting their shoes off while Fujin tried to navigate while his sister was still clinging to him. 

They made their way into the living room, where their parents, their siblings, Minato,  Kakashi, Iruka,  Obito , Rin and their son  Sakumo had all gathered. The adults were silent, watching them with small smiles.  Akahiko was standing along with Riko,  Naegi's oldest sister. She was the most like  Naegi's mother, long, pink hair, blue eyes – though hers was darker than Yuki's, and her hair was smoother. Next to them was Saku's older brother, Shizuaki. He was a good mix between Eon and  Yachi , brown hair, dark eyes, the opposite combination of what Saku got. 

In another corner was Fujin and  Naegi's older brothers, Fujin's older brothers were twins, and only two years older than Fujin and  Naegi . Their names were Sora and Minato, Minato was named after their grandfather, which was kind of awkward now that he was alive. Sora had inherited the pink hair of their mother and blue eyes of their father, but he looked a lot like their father as well when it came to facial structure. Minato looked more like their mother, since he also had pink hair, but also green eyes. His hair was longer and tied in a short pony tail .  Naegi's older brother was named  Ao , with dark blue hair and blue eyes. He was the same age as Minato and Sora. 

Then there was  Umi , the youngest of the Uzumaki household, who was a raging  two-year-old . 

Umi was still clinging to Fujin, which resulted in the adults in the room laughing at him quietly. There was a small break of silence, before the noise was back at full volume.  Naegi , Fujin and Saku got bombarded by  Ao , Sora and Minato, who were asking them all sorts of different questions. 

Riko and Shizuaki walked over to them as well, trying to get into the conversation as well. Fujin let his gaze wander,  landing on  Akahiko who were standing in the same spot, a distance away from them. Fujin narrowed his eyes.  Akahiko didn't show much facial expression, but he was certainly uncomfortable about something. Fujin wondered if it was crowds. 

"Alright, alright! It's time for food you all, come to the dining room!"  Obito's voice sounded through the ruckus. It took the group some while to get gathered, as  Ao , Sora and Minato couldn't stop asking questions, and  Umi refused to let go of Fujin. Yet, in the end they had all found their seats. 

The dining hall was large, and since they were quite the group gathered, they had to split them all up to different tables.  Akahiko , Shizuaki, Riko and  Sakumo sat on a round table, while the adults along with  Umi , who was seated happily next to  Sakua , sat on the long table which was permanently in the room.  Ao , Sora, Minato, Fujin, Saku and  Naegi were seated on a kitchen table brought in for this purpose. It was still noisy, since plates were moved  around and chatter was always present, but not amongst Fujin, Saku and  Naegi . 

Ao , Minato and Sora had managed to small talk between themselves, but Fujin,  Naegi and Saku sat silently next to each other, watching each other, slightly worried. They weren't exactly used to these situations, in fact, they had not been in this kind of situation at all that they could remember. Fujin had been a guard for  Orochimaru once during something like this, but all he had to do was stand behind  Orochimaru in case something happened, not that the snake  sannin needed his help.

Yet, they ate their food, maintaining the silence between them. 

After some time, as the food had been eaten and it was nearing the time of cleaning it all up, Saku decided to break the silence between the three.

"What do you think about the compound?" Saku asked the other two.  Naegi and Fujin stared at her for a moment. 

"It seems alright, though I find the training with dad more interesting for now," Fujin replied shortly.  Naegi nodded in  angreement .

"I believe they will send us to the academy soon enough," Saku said. "I for once, can't  wait to get some structure to things again," she said as she took another bite of her food. Fujin nodded.

"This  uncertain ty around the days has been bothering me as well, but I suppose it is somewhat good to, getting used to not doing anything,  _ relaxing,"  _ Fujin said. 

"It still is boring," Saku drawled. Fujin chuckled.

"That is true," Fujin said. He looked at  Naegi with a curious look. 

"You're awfully quiet," Fujin said.  Naegi shrugged, he leaned closer to Saku and Fujin.

"I don't like crowds," he mumbled. Fujin laughed.

"Makes sense," Saku said. 

"It's the first time I've heard you talk the entire night," Minato – the younger – said. Fujin narrowed his eyes. Minato laughed awkwardly.

"Don't worry, I'm just trying to enter the conversation, I'd like to get to know my little brother again, you know?" Minato said. Fujin didn't let up with his staring, still uncertain.

"Fujin, you don’t have to be on guard here," Saku tried to remind him. Fujin turned to her, taking a deep breath. 

"You're right," he said. "Sorry, Minato," Fujin apologized. Minato shook his head.

"Don't be," he said with a grin.

After that, Saku, Fujin and occasionally  Naegi managed to get into some smaller conversations with the ones at their table. I t was unusual, to say the least, to be able to chat without having to worry about being caught or something of the sort. 

After  dinner,  having  sat around and talking the family as a hold, Fujin, Saku and  Naegi was led by Eon back to the hospital. They ended up sitting up late for the first time in their lives, talking about what they wanted to do with their new house, with their new lives. They knew that after this, they would have the possibility to do a lot of things that they  hadn't imagined be possible. 

It was a nice thought. 


	3. Without arms and eyes

Fujin fixed his gaze on the estate. It wasn’t very big, but  definitely big enough for him, Saku and  Naegi . It was surrounded by a smooth stone wall, or fence depending on how you looked at it. The only entrance was the gate that they were currently in front of. 

“The entrance has a seal that’s keyed in on your chakra signatures, along with the  hokage’s and  uzukage’s . It makes it so that no one can enter the estate besides you unless you have  given them permission. There is a doorbell right here for guests, and you can unlock the gate from inside the house,”  Akahiko explained. He beckoned for  Naegi to come over to the seal with him.

“You simply place your palm on the seal,” he said and waited for  Naegi to put his hand up. “And then you channel your chakra,” he said lightly.  Naegi did as instructed and a  soft hum from the seal signified that the gate was unlocked.  The gates opened slowly with a creaking noise and revealed the little compound that now was their home. 

The compound consisted of a dojo, an outside training ground, the main house and a garden.  Akahiko pointed towards the dojo.

“The training hall is equipped with seals that protect it from a lot of damage, not all, it’s by far not indestructible. It can take a full powered  rasengan head on, but it’s not built for it. It’s mostly to be able to practice  jutsu you don’t want other people to see or know about yet. Especially considering your new  jinchuuriki status,  Fujin ,”  Akahiko explained.  Fujin gave a short nod in reply.

“The training ground has a barrier around it, made to work in similar ways but is much weaker. It works more like a buffer so that if you miss, you won’t send a full powered fireball at the house or something. The house is also protected similarly, but they aren’t as powerful as the dojo’s seals either,”  Akahiko continued and led them towards the main house. 

“The main house has five floors in total, one being the basement,”  Akahiko started. “The first  floor is the living room, dining area, kitchen and a bathroom for guests,”  Akahiko said. He fished three sets of keys out of his pockets and held them out to the kids. 

“For your information, the  hokage and all your parents have copies of the house keys. They told me to tell you that they’ll send shadow clones to clean up sometimes, because they wanted you to focus on settling in now in the beginning,”  Akahiko added. He unlocked the door with  Saku’s key before handing them over. 

“The third floor is the study area. Private study rooms, library and a common study room. The second floor has the bedrooms. There are three smaller rooms, one large bedroom with a bathroom, and then there’s the attic ” Akahiko said and sat down in the entry hall’s sitting area.

“The basement  is mostly for storage, but you could find other uses for it as well ,”  Akahiko said. Fujin whistled.

“That’s a lot of shit,” he said.  Akahiko laughed.

“You’re right about that,” he said. He glanced over at the three kids. “Before you set out exploring, I’ll lay out some more details for you,” he said. The three moved to sit down on the opposite side of  Akahiko , huddled together on the couch. 

“You’re entering the academy next week, and with you I actually mean  Saku and  Naegi ,”  Akahiko said. “The academy starts its lessons at eight and is done by three. After this, the two of you will head to your respective families. I know this sounds a bit forceful, but it is to get you used to them again,  so you’ll get to know them and become a family again,”  Akahiko said.  Naegi and  Saku nodded. They did understand, of course they did.  Fujin knew that all three had dearly missed their families, but they also felt somewhat estranged around them.

“ Fujin , you will take the train to  Uzu while  Saku and  Naegi goes to the academy. During the academy hours, you will work with me on controlling yourself when you fight, and around normal people. You will also be training with dad on controlling the  kyuubi chakra. After this, we will all be together as a family for dinner before you head back to Konoha. By this time,  Naegi and  Saku will have the opportunity to pick you up at the train station, and you can all go home together,”  Akahiko said.

“We will continue this until the summer before your second to last year at the academy, that means in two years. We will then evaluate  Fujin’s progress. If he’s able to control himself, he’ll go to the academy. If not, he’ll spend the entire year in  Uzu so we can train him in properly. Because he  has to go the final year, if he wants to be a Konoha ninja. That is obviously the goal,”  Akahiko finished.

“That sounds reasonable,”  Fujin replied.  Saku nodded.

“Will there often come people by here?”  Naegi asked.  Akahiko shook his head.

“Not unless you invite them. Your parents will as mentioned drop by to clean, but I think that’s just every second or third week,”  Akahiko said.  Naegi nodded shortly.

“Well, I have to make my leave. I have duties to attend to back in  Uzu now that dad decided to stay here for the remaining week. He’ll go with you when you travel back to  Uzu ,  Fujin . As will mom and  Umi . However, Minato and Sora will be coming with me, so you won’t see them until next week,”  Akahiko said. He gave the three a small smile.

“I’m glad your back,” he said.  Fujin stood up, walking over to  Akahiko with a slightly confused expression.

“I’m glad to be back,”  Fujin said.  Akahiko ruffled his hair. 

“Thank you for explaining everything,”  Saku said with a small smile. “Have a safe trip back,” she added.  Naegi nodded respectfully. 

“You three have fun too, all of your things have been placed in the hallway up in the bedroom floor,”  Akahiko said as he left, the door shutting behind him with a click. 

Fujin looked at  Naegi and  Saku , and they too exchanged glances.

“So, I suppose we should get working onto making the huge bedroom a three people bedroom. We could turn the extra rooms into wardrobes or something,”  Naegi said with a grin. 

“I can get some shadow clones to work on it, so that we can explore the house properly,”  Fujin suggested.  Saku nodded quickly.

“ I want to look at the dojo!” She said excitedly.  Fujin chuckled.

“We’ll have plenty of time to explore everything, but  Saku – I found something to work on with the  jutsu you created on sharing your  byakusharingan vision,”  Fujin said.  Saku raised an eyebrow.

“It’s all very theoretical still, but I’m getting there, but I need your help with it later,”  Fujin said.  Saku smiled. 

“Later, for now it’s exploring,”  Naegi interrupted.  Fujin huffed while  Saku erupted into laughter.

“Come on, it’s fun!” She exclaimed.

“Fun is not the word I would use to describe looking at rooms,”  Fujin stated.  Naegi punched him lightly in the shoulder, while  Saku hurried over to the stairs that led to the second floor. 

-

The week went by faster than any of the three would've liked. Fujin had  come to the conclusion that while he knew that his training was necessary, being apart from  Naegi and Saku the majority of the day wasn't something he was looking forward to. They had been  separated before, and it was a sickening experience. 

They had all been affected by past events. It wasn't something they managed to just shake off. Saku's fear of darkness, Fujin's paranoia and  Naegi's separation issues. As the first day of their academy experience was creeping closer, so was Fujin's restlessness. He knew that Saku and  Naegi were stronger than most. He knew that they could take care of each other and themselves. Yet, after  Orochimaru had used him as a personal soldier, he had adapted to the fighter role. He had adapted to  be the one to protect them. 

The faster he got himself under control, the better. He wasn't even going to be separated from them completely, they would be with each other every morning and evening. But there was nearly ten hours apart every day. Nine hours of sleep, meaning that they would spend five hours together at most. Five hours out of  twenty-four a day. Thirty-five hours out of one hundred and  sixty-eight a week. One thousand eight hundred and  twenty-five out of eight thousand seven hundred and sixty.

Was he overthinking things? He could be. 

It basically meant that they would be together twenty percent of the total time they had every year. It was more than before, but it  wasn't enough. Not for Fujin, at least. 

On a happier note, he was excited to be trained by his father and brother. Expanding his knowledge with  Uzu's vast understanding of  fuinjutsu , the amount of learning material  avail able for him at the  Uzu academy, and not to mention how he could work on his project. 

A distant crash shook Fujin out of his thoughts. He jumped to his feet, sprinting to the backyard as fast as he could. He found Saku laying on her back with  Naegi standing a couple of feet away, golden chakra surrounding his hand like a glove.

"Fujin," Saku greeted wearily. Fujin hurried over to her, helping her back to her feet.

"What the hell happened?" Fujin asked. He looked over her body quickly to see if he found any serious wounds, but there were none other than some bruises.

"Training, we figured that since the academy starts tomorrow, we should make sure that we're still in shape," Saku replied. Fujin closed his eyes with a deep sigh.

"You do know that the Konoha academy students can't compare to our strengths, right?" Fujin asked. Saku shrugged in reply. 

"We were more accurately working on our own training since the academy probably won't be able to teach us much other than theoretical stuff,"  Naegi said as he stood  beside Fujin. Fujin raised an eyebrow.

"And? What was the entire 'let's send Saku into the ground' thing about?" He asked.  Naegi laughed nervously. He let the golden chakra around his fist intensify again.

"We figured out that with enough control, I can use the Adamantine Sealing to not only work as an armour, but also as an amplifier of strength. We couldn't calculate how much it was going to be exactly, and with my natural strength it ended up being a bit too much,"  Naegi explained. Fujin chuckled. 

"Well, you're the doctor," Fujin said.  Naegi crossed his arms, a small smirk playing on his lips.

" _ Healer _ , not doctor. I don't have a medical education,"  Naegi stated. Fujin shrugged.

"Fair enough," he said. A silence fell between them.

"We're splitting up tomorrow morning,"  Naegi stated. The other two nodded. Fujin shuffled on his feet a bit.

"The train leaves at seven  forty-five . It fits perfectly with the schedule we have. You'll barely notice that I'm gone," Fujin stated. 

"We'll always notice that you're gone," Saku said, furrowing her eyes a bit. "I don't like you being in a completely different nation," she added with a sour tone. 

"Hey, if anything happens, my dad can just teleport me over here," Fujin said. 

"But we don't know if he actually would do that,"  Naegi countered. Fujin raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" He asked.  Naegi bit his bottom lip.

"All of our parents, they care about us incredibly much. If something happened here or in  Uzu , they would not send us right into the danger. At least that's what I think,"  Naegi explained. Fujin hummed.

"But there isn't really anyone who can stop us, now is there?" Fujin asked. 

"They could try," Saku said with a grin. "But they definitely won't succeed,"

-

Fujin watched  Naegi and Saku's retreating form from the train window. They were headed to the academy, and he was headed for  Uzu . His old home. 

It felt weird to sit in the train again. He could remember how much he loved riding it back when he was a kid. Now, it felt somewhat hollow. The train slowly began moving from the station. It wasn't exactly a long trip, at least not in the Land of Fire. The seal the train would move through was just outside Konoha, it wasn't more than ten minutes away. However, after the seal they would come to the sea platform, which was thirty minutes away from  Uzu . 

Fujin watched closely when the train passed through the seal.

"A seal to transport, while the train is  armoured with seals against the usually twisting feeling you get when teleporting. Instead of that, you barely notice the darkness that surrounds you before you emerge again," Fujin muttered to himself. He glanced out of the window.

The bright blue sky, glittering sea met him. Fujin felt a strange feeling of relief spread through him. He loved the sea. He loved the feeling of it around him. He moved his eyes up to the open window in the cart he was in. He turned to his own window, finding the hatch that let him open it. 

The salty smell of sea filled his nostrils, and a warm breeze crashed into his face. A small smile crept onto his face as he dragged himself out through the window, climbing onto the roof of the train. The roof was flat the entire way to the front of the train, and that itself was just a nice coincidence. Fujin made his way to the front cart, seating himself as far in the front he could without being seen by anyone. 

The wind, the smell of sea, the sky and sea itself. It felt almost like a dream. It had been years since he'd last seen, smelled and heard it. The crashing of waves, sound of seagulls and the howling wind. Fujin fixed his gaze on the horizon, where he could see the island he'd been born on.

-

Saku settled behind a desk in the back of the classroom.  Naegi sat down next to her. They specifically chose the back so that they would be able to see everyone who was in the classroom. There hadn't arrived any other student, as it was still early. Most chose to hang out outside the building before going inside, but they arrived one by one as the clock got closer to when school started. 

People were whispering, looking at them carefully. Saku recognised some of them from when she was younger.  Hyuuga Hitomi , the heir to the  Hyuuga clan and daughter of  Hyuuga Hinata and  Inuzuka Kiba. She had her puppy  Aimaru with her at all times. She sat in the front row along with two other girls. One of them was  recognis able as well, but mostly because Fujin had wanted to research the clans and heirs. The girl on  Hitomi's left was Yamanaka Inohana. She was the daughter of Yamanaka Ino and Yamanaka Sai, hei r to the Yamanaka clan. There were a lot of clan heirs in their class. 

On her right was a purple haired girl. She was not of a clan, as far as Saku knew. She wore a sailor uniform, mostly of a lighter purple colour. 

There were a lot of their classmates who were civilian born.  Saku knew that  there was ninja that had risen from civilian lives, like Fujin's mother. However, they usually didn't pass the graduation exam at the end of the academy, and if they did they often got sent back after the real  genin test. She also knew that the true  genin test wasn't something she was supposed to know, but Fujin had done research while they were at  Orochimaru's , and he had relayed a lot of that information to them.

Saku and  Naegi had agreed that they were strong enough to not focus that much on training during their time at the academy. They had a lot of studies that the academy used for grading that they had to focus on. Especially Saku, since the three of them knew that she wasn't very strong mentally. It was this kind of research they had done the few days prior to today.

As more of  their classmates entered the room, the more Saku could identify. Nara  Shikao , heir to the Nara clan, a cousin of Saku actually.  Akamichi Choza , heir to the  Akamichi clan.  Hyuuga Kenzo,  Hitomi's cousin and Tai Lee. Tai Lee wasn't a clan heir, or of any clan. However, his father is the  famous  ninja Rock Lee, the best  taijutsu user in Konoha. 

They had gotten the information on their classmates by reading up on clans in the public library, because they got updated as a new generation came along. Fujin had devoured all information the library had to offer in their limited  time and relayed the useful data he'd gathered to  Naegi and Saku. Though Saku knew that he would continue to do so, probably using  Naegi and Saku to find more information for him. He liked being prepared. 

Soon enough, the teacher entered. He wore simple clothing, though he had some  weird glasses – goggles? - over his eyes. His hair was in a ponytail, most of his clothes were in shades of green or grey. Instructor files weren’t in the library, but Saku recognised him nonetheless. Fujin had drilled them on  these kind of things , after all.

Aburame Shino, head of the  Aburame clan. The entire clan consisted of bug-users, where each member hosts a hive of insects. The  insects feed on their host’s chakra and gets safety in exchange for fighting for the host in battle. 

The bell rang, and the class fell silent as Shino straightened his back, faking a cough to get attention.

“Good morning everyone. As you can see, we have two new students with us here today. Uzumaki  Naegi and Nara Saku,” Shino informed. “Today is a good day for general testing because of their arrival. We will start the day with theoretical tests, moving on to accuracy and obstacle courses, then we will do a ninjutsu test before finishing off with a  taijutsu tournament,” Shino said as he handed a stack of papers to the purple haired girl. She seemed  nervous but handed out the papers as told. 

The test was simple enough, or at least it would have been for her had she... gone to school. Saku pulled her hair in frustration.  Naegi seemed to be doing better, but he had always had a knack for remembering stuff better than Saku did. Not to mention Fujin, he would’ve nailed this test. 

An hour passed before  all of the tests were handed in, and Shino led them to a training ground outside with several target dummies. He sorted the students up in smaller groups,  Naegi and Saku being  separated . She wanted to go over to him regardless, but she could see him. He wouldn’t disappear to somewhere. It was fine. 

She couldn’t help but to feel her frustration grow as she watched her classmates’ attempts on throwing kunai and shuriken. The clan children were good enough, they had obviously been training since they were younger. However, most of the class was still only passing the bare minimum for a shinobi in training. They behaved like civilians. 

Saku did her throws quickly, hitting dead on without much trouble. There wasn’t much distance, the target wasn’t moving, how was this supposed to be any practice? She saw that  Naegi was having the same thoughts, based on his body language. 

The obstacle course was in a large field. There were several different obstacles. There were areas you had to climb with ropes, rock climbing, chakra climbing, balancing over the ground, sliding under  obstacles , running around poles as if they were trees. There  were a lot of different things.

It was simple, you had to pass through the designated route as fast as possible. Saku’s cousin,  Shikao , looked like he would much rather be sleeping somewhere –  obviously . He was a Nara through and through. Though the  Akamichi didn’t look much more interested. None of the civilian born kids  looked that hyped either, and it didn’t help their case of the amount of respect they would get from Saku.

Hitomi was early in the line, and Saku couldn’t help but to be a bit surprised. She was agile and fast, and her chakra control was amazing for someone of her training and age. Not that she wouldn’t expect much less of a  Hyuuga and  Inuzuka kid. 

Kenzo and Tai Lee was just as good, and while Inohana – or Hana as everyone seemed to call her was after them in the rankings, she wasn’t that good either. 

And the purple-haired one –  Sumire – she was good too. Although she was so nervous, so she failed a bit here and there. The other civilian kids? Saku barely watched them and none of the results were surprising. Saku wondered if her standards  were just too high.

Naegi being  Naegi ranked first in the obstacle course. He had the experience and he had the body to do most of the obstacles with practiced ease. Saku was a close second, but mostly because she was faster than most and knew how to use her body with most efficiency. She didn’t waste any movement. 

The class was impressed by them, to say the least. They hadn’t expected someone who joined so late in the program to be at this level. However, Saku knew that this barely scratched the surface of their abilities, and that they would never be able to show their true strengths against their classmates. 

The ninjutsu test was  pretty basic , and  Naegi and Saku didn’t really have that many simple  jutsu under their belt. They couldn’t exactly bring out too much either, they were inside a gymnasium  now, after all . Saku had settled on some simple fire styled ninjutsu, while  Naegi used some water ones. They countered each other nicely if the other went out of  hand, after all . 

And  so came the  taijutsu tournament. 

Saku and  Naegi were standing side by side.  Both of them watching civilian born kids fighting each other with scrunched up faces.

“They will get murdered if they fight us,”  Naegi stated dryly. Saku hummed in agreement. 

“Especially civilian kids, though the  Hyuuga’s might make a little stand,” Saku stated.  Naegi shrugged.

“They as well, they have barely any combat experience by the looks of things,”  Naegi commented. He shuffled his feet slightly, as if he almost wished to fight back in the pit rather than academy students.

“What if we make it our own personal challenge?” Saku asked.  Naegi raised an eyebrow at the question. 

“What do you suggest?” He asked. Saku grinned  mischievously . 

“Like, I won’t use my arms and you will close your eyes,” she said.  Naegi looked at her strangely, but then there was a glint in his eye.

“You know if we lose Fujin will never let us here the end of it, right?” He asked. Saku laughed. She could imagine the teasing Fujin would do if he got word of it, and he always got word of things. Not that Saku really knew how he did it.

“I know, but it would be fun. Not only would it  maybe make things a bit more interesting, but it could be fun too,” Saku said.  Naegi chuckled. He patted Saku’s shoulder as his name was called.

“Blindness?” he asked her. She nodded with a wide grin. He shook his head slightly before he walked into the arena. His opponent was Kenzo. And the  Hyuuga seemed a little... too fired up.

“Finally, someone who can be a challenge,” Kenzo said. He smiled smugly. Ah... arrogant  Hyuuga . Saku should’ve figured.  Naegi smiled politely. He took a good luck around him before breathing out. He closed his eyes, slipping into a battle position. 

“Are you mocking me?” Kenzo asked loudly. Shino  seemed to be fidgeting. He seemed tired of students picking fights when he just wanted to start a spar.

“Hardly, I’m doing this because Saku dared me to,”  Naegi stated calmly. Kenzo growled slightly. Oh boy. Saku should’ve figured. Well, at least a riled up  Hyuuga do act less calculated and make mistakes. Had Kenzo been focused, he might’ve stood a chance of  actually hitting Naegi . 

Shino started the match, and Kenzo shot forwards. Or, at least as fast as he could manage. He threw a fist at  Naegi , but  Naegi merely stepped to the side. Kenzo flew past him before grounding himself,  swinging around to aim a kick at  Naegi’s side.  Naegi deflected the  kick with his hand, grabbing it and swinging Kenzo over him, slamming the boy to the ground. It wasn’t at full strength, it would be something of  falling down from a building by shinobi in training standards. That would be like falling from a tree by civilian standards. Kenzo coughed as the air was knocked out of him.  Naegi walked over to him, placing his foot on Kenzo’s chest. He didn’t apply any pressure to damage by the looks of it, but enough that Kenzo couldn’t stand up again.

“Surrender,”  Naegi stated, his eyes still closed. Kenzo sighed, knocking the ground twice. A wordless surrender. Shino called the match, and  Naegi returned to Saku. Saku gave him a wide grin, while  Naegi just sighed.

“It was still too easy, hope you have more fun,”  Naegi stated. Saku hummed.

“I mean, I still get to move around, but I can’t block very well,” Saku responded.  Naegi nodded understandingly. 

“You won’t have to though,” he said dryly. Saku laughed before she heard her name being called. Followed soon after was  Hitomi . Saku felt her excitement grow. A  Hyuuga , her fighting style would  most likely be efficient with the  byakugan – meaning that Saku could learn something from her. 

Shino called the match and Saku entered her fighting stance as  Hitomi did the same. They eyed each other carefully. And Saku might have been a smart person f or a second and not gone head on, but hey, they were academy students. 

Saku s hot forward, and  Hitomi took a step back, not realizing how fast Saku  actually was . Saku swung her leg under  Hitomi’s feet, and while the  Hyuuga managed to jump, she was a bit too late and stumbled when she hit the ground. Quickly followed were quick jabs from  Hitomi , as she quickly recovered herself before Saku could attack her again. Saku skipped to the side, trying to make sure that she wouldn’t automatically use her hands to fight. 

HItomi rushed at her, her palm outstretched. Saku jumped, using her leg to kick away  Hitomi’s arm. Once  Hitomi’s momentum had been altered, Saku sent another kick to her side, throwing her out of the circle.  Hitomi jumped to her feet, a glare sent Saku’s way.

Shino called the match  again and managed to guide the two to make the sign of reconciliation. He went on to lecture them about the importance of honing the traditions of traditional shinobi sparring. Especially  that they should always use the sign of confrontation and reconciliation. 

Saku stood by  Naegi’s side. There were more matches to come. A sly grin spread on Saku’s face. She turned to  Naegi . 

“Want a  new handicap?” she asked.  Naegi raised an eyebrow, a hesitant  glint in his eye.

“Depends,” he said quietly. He wasn’t very outspoken around other people, and it  seemed to just grow quieter over time.

“Whenever we get hit, we are not allowed to use the limb that was touched. Though if we are hit another place, only the new lost limb will count,” Saku stated.  Naegi chuckled.

“Sure,” he said. 

They fought more matches, and watched their classmates... try, at least. They supposed that since this was an era of peace, academy students weren’t  required to learn how to fight as good as quickly as possible.  Orochimaru had trained them to be the best. A weapon through and through. 

It was almost unfair that  Naegi and Saku were in their little practice tournament. They were better than all of them combined. At least they could control their strength so that they didn’t hurt anyone. A pang of guilt shot through her. Fujin. 

She shook her head. She shouldn’t linger on things like that. Shino called her and  Naegi into the ring. They made the sign of confrontation.

“No handicap,” Saku stated.  Naegi’s carefree gaze darkened, a serious aura surrounding him. Saku had always found it interesting how  Naegi changed when he went into battle. He hated hurting people, so he had created this mask he could hide behind. When he was out of combat he was himself. Kind, caring, full of humour. When he went into battle, he put it behind him. He reminded Saku a lot of Fujin in those moments. Calculating, colder.

Not that Fujin didn’t have joy in him. She knew he did, but it was buried so deeply.  Orochimaru had robbed them  all of so much, but Saku and  Naegi had been together more than Fujin had. When they all worked together as a team again, he had followed  Orochimaru’s orders without question. If not for  Akahiko , he would  probably never have had hope of escaping. 

Shino started the match. 

Only a trained shinobi could follow them at the speed they were going at. They shot back and forth, locked in close quarter combat. While Saku had more technique in her fighting,  Naegi was more durable and had more stamina. 

The punches were hard, precise. Nothing like academy students. Saku realised in this moment, or rather, not a realization as much as she understood the reality of the situation. They were academy students only in name. They were Shinobi. 

In the end, the two had gone into something of a mid-air battle. They kicked away from  each other and sent  both of them out of the ring. 

Shino called the match.

For a moment, everything was quiet. Saku and  Naegi stared at each other blankly, almost intent on continuing their fight. After a second, the class erupted into laughter. That shook Saku out of her surprise. She joined in her  classmates'  laughter. 

Only them could fight so  skilfully , yet both lose because of a technicality. 

They met each other in the circle, making the sign of reconciliation. 

After Shino told them to get ready for the next part of their day, the class surrounded Saku and  Naegi . Questions were bombarded, loud voices, people trying their best to grab their attention. Naegi looked uncomfortable. Saku narrowed her gaze slightly. 

“Please back off,” she said lowly. She was ignored.  Naegi inched closer to her, his breathing rigid. Saku felt agitation grow within her. 

“Back off!” She said loudly, but her voice was muted out by the other students. 

A hand grabbed hold of her arm and dragged her out of the crowd. She noticed a moment after that  Naegi was carried out as well. 

“ I would stay there, if I were you,” a male voice stated. Saku looked up. It was Kenzo, the guy who fought  Naegi . He stood between Saku and the crowd of students. His glare levelled, but his anger not concealed. The other clan heads ’ children  were standing around them slightly, making this wall between Saku and the rest of the class. Saku turned around. 

Hitomi was talking to  Naegi . She was on her knees, muttering quietly and helping  Naegi focus on her breathing. Saku felt relief run through her. She hurried over to  Naegi’s side, touching his shoulder carefully. He calmed when he  saw her , a sigh of relief escaped him as he leaned on Saku’s shoulder.

“We could take him to the infirmary,”  Hitomi suggested. Saku gave a short nod. The two supported  Naegi into standing up, almost carrying him all the way up to the infirmary. 

Naegi was calmer, but he seemed very drained. Saku kept an eye on him the entire way up.  Hitomi seemed concerned as well, while Kenzo had remained to keep the rest of the students away from them. Saku sharpened her focus. She could hear heavy footsteps behind them. A grown-up, most likely Shino. He had been getting materials when the entire ordeal had happened, and by now he would  most likely have heard about it and followed them to make sure  Naegi was okay.

They got to the infirmary after a little while. The school wasn’t exactly small. It was empty, spare the school nurse that was sitting behind a desk in the corner of the room. 

“What can I help you with? Oh, gosh - is he okay?” She asked as she noticed the three entering the room. 

“He just needs to lie down and get some space,” Saku replied instantly. She might have let the occasional doctor check on them at the hospital, but that was because she had to if she wanted things to go their way. That did not mean that she liked people approaching herself or her teammates. The nurse looked at Saku. She seemed wary. It seems like the nurse knew exactly who Saku and  Naegi were. There was no surprise in her hesitance to get closer after Saku had specifically stated that he was fine. 

Hitomi helped Saku get  Naegi onto one of the beds. He sat down silently, his gaze still distant. He was calmer now, but he seemed to be far away. Saku stared at him concerned.  Hitomi took a few steps back, standing beside the nurse. 

“What happened?” The nurse asked.  Hitomi turned to her.

“They got swamped by students, I think it’s a panic attack,”  Hitomi said. The nurse raised an eyebrow.

“How do you-?” She was interrupted by the door opening, revealing Shino. He walked over to  Naegi and Saku both hurriedly, yet  calmly at the same time.

“What happened?” Shino asked. Saku stood up straighter and her body went rigid.

“ Naegi got a bit overwhelmed. He only needs some space and will be ready within the hour,” she stated almost robotically. She made sure not to move. They shouldn’t be too casual when giving reports. 

“Take the time you need,” Shino said softly. Saku sent him a confused gaze. They had disrupted class and left without notice, and he wasn’t angry? Shino turned to look at her. It was hard to get eye contact with someone when they wore shades like the teacher did. 

“Don’t worry Saku, you don’t take orders from me here. You can relax,” he said. Saku exhaled, her posture sinking back into a slight casualness. 

“I was a classmate of your parents . Y ou know, they assigned you to the class because they trust me as well. I know about your situation. I am going to give you some extra classes to train with your proper skills, in addition to learning about the things you have missed earlier,” Shino explained. 

Saku met his gaze carefully. Words were one thing, but she couldn’t trust him completely. There were too many people in the building to make a successful escape by fighting her way out.  Naegi was down, and she couldn’t leave him either, even if she was fast enough to escape alone. Fujin would have known what to do with this situation. Sure, she didn’t  believe that the people here actually had it in them to try and take them out, but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t be cautious enough about it. For all she knew, this could all just have been some elaborate test by  Orochimaru , and now that  Naegi was down she didn’t have him to try and talk her out her train of thought either. 

A slight sting of panic spread through her. How would she deal with this on her own?  Naegi was right there, yet he wasn’t because of the overwhelming impressions he had gotten. Fujin would have known what to do,  but yet again he had been taken away from them for some stupid reason. 

Who cares if he was jumpy? They had a right to be. Their parents couldn’t just separate them because they believe that it was for their own good. Fujin hadn’t meant to hurt anyone, yet he was being punished for it. 

“Saku,” Shino’s voice shook Saku out of her thoughts. She sharpened her gaze. “You can stay here until  Naegi feels better. If you want to, you can leave for home and take the rest of the day off. Remember to study the subjects we went through today,” Shino said softly. Saku pursed her lip. She inched closer to  Naegi .

“We will leave then,” she said. The estate was safer than here. They had permission to go. It wouldn’t be a problem. 

“I can help you to get him home,”  Hitomi offered, looking at Shino questionably. The teacher nodded shortly. 

“Don’t worry, I can handle it,” Saku stated. She felt less secure. She couldn’t explain why, but she did. She needed to protect  Naegi until Fujin came back and could help her sort things out. He would arrive at the train that came around four. That was in two hours. 

“By yourself? Isn’t he a bit too-”

“I’m going to say this once,” Saku said. “I am more than capable of taking care of my family,” she stood in front of  Naegi , hauling him onto his back and supporting him behind her. His head leaned on her shoulder and his arms dangled in front of her.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Shino-sensei,” Saku said before leaving the office. She headed straight home, not caring that she got some odd looks from the villagers. Once home, she headed up to the bedroom she shared with  Naegi and Fujin, putting  Naegi down on his bed carefully. Sometime along the road home he had passed out,  probably from exhaustion. It made her wonder how much he had  actually stressed the past days. It was something they would have to talk about once Fujin got back.

\--

Fujin was greeted by his father and eldest brother once he stepped out of the train. His father smiled at him, hurrying over to him and asked about how the trip went and if everything was alright. Fujin knew that he cared for his father, and that his father cared for him, yet he just wanted to get going. He wanted to get back home as fast as he could. 

“Your mom wanted to come too, but she got caught up in work,”  Ryuusuke said as he led Fujin through the village. Fujin had forgotten what it looked like during the time he was at  Orochimaru’s . The images of his home had been blurred during the months of torture. As he walked down the roads, memories of his childhood seemed to resurface slowly. It was a bittersweet feeling. He supposed they were happy memories, but it just reminded him how much he had lost. 

“Where are we going?” Fujin asked simply.  Ryuusuke raised an eyebrow. His analytic gaze was not unnoticed. Fujin knew how to read body language. He always had.

“Sorry if I’m blunt, but the faster we get to train me into being  more ‘friendly’ or ‘in control’, the faster I can get back to Saku and  Naegi ,” Fujin said.  Ryuusuke chuckled. He ruffled Fujin’s hair affectionately.  Akahiko walked on  Ryuusuke’s other side. He was silent, but there was some lingering sadness in his gaze whenever he looked at Fujin. Guilt. 

Fujin knew that his older brother  probably blamed himself for not getting Fujin out of  Orochimaru’s place when they met during that battle. That he hadn’t caught onto Fujin’s subtle hints. But then again, Fujin couldn’t blame him. He was disguised. He worked for  _ Orochimaru _ _.  _ Of course, he didn’t expect his brother to understand when he himself was young. He was still young. 

If anything,  Akahiko had still saved him. It gave him hope of escaping, and he needed that to connect with Saku and  Naegi again. Despite the monstrosities the three had performed under  Orochimaru’s orders, they had hope. At least a tiny bit of it. 

“We’re going to go to the  Uzu academy. I was thinking that while you train with  Akahiko , you can mingle with some people your age during lunch,”  Ryuusuke said. Fujin looked up at him.

“Are you sure that’s safe?” He asked.  Ryuusuke smiled at him. He looked a bit sad. Fujin could guess why here as well. He was a child. He was his father’s son. Yet, he was stronger than many. He was dangerous - he had seen things he  probably never should have. His father blamed himself for being unable to protect him. 

“I trust you,”  Ryuusuke said. Fujin’s eyes widened. A warm feeling spread through his chest. He could guess that he was blushing slightly as well. His cheeks felt warm. 

“Also, by training at the academy I can get some of the instructors to train with you as well, give you some variation in your training. I was also thinking of pitting you against some of my friends,”  Ryuusuke said. Fujin looked up at him. He remembered that most of his father’s friends, like  Naegi and Saku’s parents, were famous elite ninja. War heroes.  Orochimaru level. 

Fujin had done research on  Orochimaru . The man was very powerful, but mostly because of his extensive collection of different  jutsu , in addition to his superior ability in slipping away. His rebirth technique let him do things that normal people would die of. He had killed the Third  Hokage . He was a  sannin . But his father’s godfather – technically Fujin’s grandfather as well – was also a  sannin . His father’s biological father was a former  kage , who had beaten  Orochimaru for the position. Most of his father’s friends either had a strong bloodline or was a  jinchuuriki – or even both. 

If he trained with them. He would be able to deal with  Orochimaru . He knew he was strong already, but he was not strong  enough . He had to get a lot stronger if he wanted to beat the snake  sannin . He had to  protect Naegi and Saku. 

They arrived at the academy not long after. There were many students at the park area in front of the building, though Fujin could hear that there were many people inside as well. He could see people through the windows, and it wouldn’t surprise him if there were many more behind the building as well. He remembered that the training grounds were in the back of the building. Large long fields of training grounds on normal ground, in addition to several smaller ones hidden around in the area around the school. The academy grounds were  large and stretched out even to the edge of the island. They had training grounds dedicated to fighting on water, in forests, on sand, on mountains and uneven  ground levels . They had a training room inside that was  cooled down to freezing levels to simulate winter battles, another room with different weather seals to simulate harsh weather conditions. There was nothing that didn’t have one form of simulation or another. 

The Academy had uniforms. It wasn’t really that common in ninja academies in the other major ninja villages, or any for that case. But since  Uzu was an international academy, with many more students than a normal one, they needed some way of organizing all the students. They all had similar uniforms, black pants and jackets, with a white shirt underneath. They all had the  Uzu symbol on the shoulders, with different colours separating them by year. Whi t e for first years, Blue for second years, green for third years, gold for fourth years and black for fifth years. They all had white traditional battle clothing for training, with sashes with the colour of their year. If there was a clan kid, they had their clan symbol on the back of their clothes. 

Now, Fujin was a person who didn’t like too much attention. Before, it had made it difficult for him to make any moves. Attention meant that more people payed attention to your actions – meaning that you couldn’t easily slip away. That was bad when  it came to covert missions. 

So, having people stop their conversations to look at Fujin and his family was less than comfortable. They were staring, whispering among themselves. It was the  Uzukage after all, how often did he come around. Fujin knew that his father taught  Fuinjutsu , but not everyone took that course. For his students, they would  probably be more used to him. But for everyone else, he remained this legend of a shinobi. Fujin looked at his father. He always wore his battle clothing. His white cloak with blue flames. He looked like a legend, Fujin supposed. He looked strong. His presence was strong. 

Akahiko wasn’t much better. Everyone knew who  Akahiko was. Prodigy, son of the  Uzukage . His fiery red hair proved his Uzumaki heritage. Everyone was expecting him to take over as  Uzukage after  Ryuusuke . He was stronger than many  jonin already, and he was only fourteen. He was a talent that many people could compare to Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha  Itachi . 

Fujin remembered  Itachi . He was something of an uncle to him as a kid. His father’s second in command was something of a dork when he was alone with kids. It was very amusing. Useful blackmail. Fujin chuckled to  himself at the thought. 

Right, his point. While his brother and father  was easily given attention, Fujin was even more so. He was a mystery. Not many people remembered him or had seen him at all. He had some childhood friends, but they were kids back then, and it was two years ago. His memories of that time  were blurry.

He was a mystery to these people, a newcomer, yet he walked besides the  Uzukage . He supposed that they could see the resemblance between him and his father. 

The walked straight through the building, and  silence continued to surround them. Even though after they had passed, people went straight back to their chatter, discussing whatever they were before they had seen Fujin and his family pass through, or about them. 

They eventually made it to the training grounds behind the school. They chose a smaller one that was close to the school, yet more remote. It wasn’t very visible from the school grounds, but it was close so that they didn’t have to walk that far. 

“Now, before we work on your restraining, I want to see what you actually can do,”  Ryuusuke said. He crossed his fingers, creating a shadow clone. He quickly went through some hand seals before placing his hand on the clone. Sea l s s p r e a d o u t f orm h i s h a n d , s u r r o u n d i n g t h e c l o n e i n b l a c k i n k . T h e s e a l s g l o w e d w h i t e b e f o r e t h e y f a d e d a w a y .

“ T h i s c l o n e h a s b e e n m a d e v e r y d u r a b l e . I w i l l c r e a t e a n o t h er one i f y o u m a n a g e d t o d e s t r o y t h i s o n e . W e w i l l d o t h i s u n t i l y o u f e e l l i k e y o u h a v e s h o w n m o s t o f y o u r s k i l l , ” R y u u s u k e e x p l a i n e d . F u j i n n o d d e d . H e disc a r e d h i s j a c k e t on t h e g r o u n d , r o l l i n g h i s s h o ulder s .

He stood a few meters away from the clone, slipping into his battle pose.  He inhaled deeply before his surroundings slipped away. His father and brother’s presence faded away. It was only him,

And the enemy. 

He barely heard his father call the match. He sped forward, the clone reacted. Nothing less expected from his father’s clone. He  attacked, and the clone defended himself. He wouldn’t  counterattack at first because his father wanted to measure his abilities. Fujin had to take advantage over that. Yet, he was fighting a  kage level shinobi. He had to be careful. This was an anything goes battle, meaning Fujin had to use  all of his abilities with perfect timing. 

He didn’t have any ninja equipment. He wasn’t allowed to carry any.

But he had learned the shadow clone  jutsu when he was reading at  Orochimaru’s . And his father wasn’t the only one who knew how to use  fuinjutsu to make them more durable. He created ten clones, five who immediately went to work on making them durable. Fujin made sure that his father’s clone didn’t do anything. The  clone might be  kage level, but Fujin was good at making sure he would move by effective use of fire  jutsu . 

Then, when all ten clones had finished making each other durable, they transformed into kunai, shuriken and a tanto. 

Fujin sped backwards, grabbing a shuriken and a tanto. He created and another shadow clone and threw the shuriken, using the  kage shuriken  jutsu to multiply. He and the clone used a wind and a lightning  jutsu respectively, speeding up and electrifying the shuriken. 

Fujin sped in right after with his clone. They attacked his father’s clone with deadly coordination. But his father didn’t seem very bothered. It was frustrating. 

He hadn’t realized that even with  Orochimaru’s cruel experiments and extensive training, he couldn’t even hit his father. He was being dodged or defended against. His father wasn’t even trying to attack him back. He wasn’t serious. How was he supposed to  beat  Orochimaru if he was still this  weak ?

Fujin grit his teeth as he tried sneaking around his father again. It was difficult, even if he used shadow clones to fight with him it still wasn’t enough. His father could predict his movements, and even if Fujin could anticipate what his father would do and react to it, his father had some sort of  backup plan. Some way to tip the odds back into his  favour . 

And yet, Fujin knew that this wasn’t his father’s full level. He wasn’t serious. 

Anger  fuelled him. A boiling feeling spread through him. He heard his father inhale sharply. 

He furrowed his brows. Had he been with Saku and  Naegi , he was sure that they could have defeated his father. Or at least get one hit in. 

He missed them. God, that was weird. They hadn’t even been away from each other for two hours. He was worried. What if something happened while he was gone? What if  Orochimaru came back to get them? Konoha wasn’t as secured as  Uzu – the academy especially.  Orochimaru had slipped in there before – oh god.  His anger quickly disappeared with the now growing concern. He would have to do something there, to stop something from possibly happening- 

His father’s attack shook him out of his thoughts. His father  probably wanted to check out his defensive  abilities . Fujin silenced his mind again. He was getting distracted. 

His father’s attacks were unpredictable. While they were analytical, he had the experience of countless battles. He could improvise, and he wasn’t even using  jutsu . While Fujin was fast enough to dodge most things, he couldn’t take a direct hit. His father was  strong and being hit head on would hurt and only slow him down. 

Ryuusuke rushed at him again. A right hook  strike . Fujin stepped back, trying to kick his father using his momentum. His father grabbed his foot, flicking him across the field. Fujin got up immediately. He grabbed his tanto and a kunai while he charged at his father. His father barely blinked at his charging armed son. Fujin felt a flicker of irritation. 

He stopped. His father’s clone stopped.

“There’s no point to this,” Fujin stated. He looked over at his father and brother.

“What do you mean?”  Ryuusuke asked.

“Listen, you’re a  kage -level ninja. I don’t have a chance. No matter how much I try to defeat you, I don’t stand a chance. If the battle continued, I’d just get irritated and make reckless actions and mistakes,” Fujin stated.  Ryuusuke nodded. 

“It’s fine, I’ve already seen more than enough,”  Ryuusuke said. He turned to  Akahiko . “What do you think?” he asked.  Akahiko looked at Fujin for a moment.

“Despite his young age, Fujin shows superior physical and mental abilities compared to most  genin . If I’d put it in  strictly rank-based prowess, I’d say he would be what we would expect of a fresh  chuunin . It’s really something for being eight. He knows how to work with what he knows. In addition to understanding when he is outmatched. Had it not been for his inability to control his strength, he could easily have been promoted directly to  chuunin ,”  Akahiko stated.  Ryuusuke nodded  approvingly . 

“Fujin, you do not only have good instincts. You are strong and fast. I was honestly very surprised. Had I not been prepared for that I would be however, you would  probably have made a hit at some point. The moment I saw your movements, I knew I had to pay full attention. You are quick with forming plans, and I know you worked a lot with Saku and  Naegi . You also made clones to support you, showing that you use your full power when you have your team. I’d love to see what the three of you can do at some point,”  Ryuusuke said. 

“What does this mean though?” Fujin asked.

“It means that I know how strong you are, and that I probably should ask Shino to make sure that Saku and  Naegi doesn’t harm their classmates accidentally,”  Ryuusuke chuckled. “No, you’re also a  jinchuuriki . We’re going to make sure that you  can’t hurt people accidentally, make sure that you can control  Kurama’s power, and train you to be even stronger,”  Ryuusuke said. He walked over to Fujin,  kneeling down . He placed his hands on Fujin’s shoulders.

“I should have protected you back then,” he said, he looked at the ground. “I should have searched for you everywhere, I should have done better,” he continued. He squeezed Fujin’s shoulder. “You were hurt because of me, because I am your father. I might not be able to protect you wherever you are, and I know you wouldn’t want me to be with you everywhere as well. I will make sure that you are strong enough to protect yourself and your close ones,”  Ryuusuke said. He looked up at Fujin. 

He wasn’t sure what to do. His father was on his knees. It was odd. He didn’t know how to act. Fujin took a deep breath. He leaned forward, resting his forehead on his father’s. 

“Dad, it wasn’t your fault,” Fujin whispered. “It was no one else than  Orochimaru . And he will pay for what he did to Saku and  Naegi ,” Fujin continued darkly.  Ryuusuke squeezed his shoulders. 

“And he will, for what he did to all of you,”  Ryuusuke stated. Something vibrated in his pocket. 

“I got a call in my office, I’ll be back in a few,”  Ryuusuke said. He disappeared with a yellow flash, leaving Fujin alone with his brother. 

“So,”  Akahiko said as he walked over. “Want to go get some lunch?” He asked. Fujin looked up at his brother.

“Shouldn’t we wait for dad or something? He said it wouldn’t take long,” Fujin said. 

“He will teleport using the seal he has on me. So, it doesn’t matter where we go, he’ll come to us anyway,”  Akahiko replied. Fujin nodded slowly.

“I guess we can get lunch then,” he said. 

They walked back to the academy. People had gone back into their classes, except for the  first  year students. They had lessons outside. 

“Fujin, why don’t I get you  lunch, and you try and mingle with the first years? They are the same age as you after all,”  Akahiko said. Fujin looked up at him hesitantly.  Akahiko smiled softly. “I’ll be back soon,”  Akahiko said. Fujin nodded shortly. 

Akahiko walked with him to the first years. He waved the teacher over, exchanged a few words before leaving to get them lunch. 

Fujin stood not too far away from the other students, who were eyeing him carefully. The only ones not paying attention were those who were sparring. It was a little disturbing. 

The match stopped, and the teacher began lecturing some of the students. 

A  red-haired boy stepped up to him. Long hair, violet eyes. A descendant of the Uzumaki. 

“You. Fight me,” The boy said. Fujin stared at him blankly.

“I’m sorry?” He asked. 

“Fight me. Or is the son of a  kage unable to do so?” The boy snarled. Fujin squinted.

“I fail to see how that has anything to do with it. Besides, I’m not allowed to fight anyone without proper permission, in case I accidentally hurt someone,” Fujin stated.

“Hurt someone? You? You haven’t even gone to this academy. You are not at our level,” the kid stated. Fujin stared at him.

“You’re a first year.  You barely have a level at all. Sure, you got some better training than normal academy civilian kids, but everyone else have clan training as well. Consider yourself a level when you’re in year three,” Fujin stated. The boy glared at him.

“Get in the ring,” he stated. 

“I can’t,” Fujin replied shortly. 

“Haru, knock it out,” a dark, smooth voice stated. Fujin turned to the source of the voice. Another  red-haired kid, teal eyes.

“Natsu,” Haru greeted. “He stares at us like he’s better, but he’s only the son of the  Uzukage . Rides on his father’s coattails,” he added.

“Does being related to a  kage suddenly make you arrogant?” Natsu asked. He narrowed his eyes at Haru. 

“Of course not, but look at him-”

“Dude, just stop, you’re  embarrassing yourself,” Natsu stated. He turned to look at Fujin. “Sorry about him, he doesn’t know his limits,” Fujin shrugged.

“Don’t worry. I have taken down several of those,” Fujin replied. Natsu stared at him. Fujin glanced back.  Were their experiences  meant to be something of a secret?  Discreet ? He should discuss that with his parents later, in addition to his team.

“Taken down?” Haru asked. Fujin nodded slowly.

“Sorry, I should go. My brother is getting us lunch,” Fujin stated. 

“Wait-” Haru said. He grabbed Fujin’s forearm. Fujin turned around with a glare. Grabbing Haru by his arm before hurling him over his shoulder.

“Fujin!”  Akahiko’s voice rang out. Fujin sucked in a breath. Shit.

“ Akahiko \- I- I'm-” He stumbled over the words.  Akahiko shook his head.

“It’s fine,” he said. He helped Haru up on his feet before he headed over to Fujin. “I saw what happened, I should have intervened,”  Akahiko stated. Fujin scrunched his face up.  Akahiko handed him a sandwich.

“Here, dad came back, he told us to go to the train station. Seems like Saku and  Naegi went home early. Dad’s going to make a training schedule for you based on your results today anyway. He has work to do as well, and I can’t train you alone as we are planning to do when we have your schedule down,”  A kahiko explained. Fujin nodded slowly. The fact that Saku and  Naegi went home early was worrying. Hopefully it wasn’t anything to major. 

“You - who are you?” Haru asked. 

“Fujin.  Namikaze Fujin. Uzumaki as well, if you want to count that. You?” Fujin replied.

“Uzumaki Haru,” Haru replied. “Where did you train?” Haru asked. Fujin looked at  Akahiko for a second, who seemed just as questioning as Fujin felt. Fujin felt a sly smile grow.

“ Orochimaru ,” Fujin stated. Haru stared at him for a moment. Then, he burst into laughter.

“That’s rich!” Haru exclaimed. Natsu kept staring at Fujin. Fujin furrowed his brows. He had grown up with Natsu. He and his father lived at the  Uzu kage compound. Natsu was the son of  Gaara . Memories – slow work.

“Natsu,” Fujin stated. Natsu nodded. 

“We’ll talk later, Fujin, it sounded like you had to go,” Natsu said. Fujin nodded.

“Right,” he said. He turned to  Akahiko . 

“Let’s go then,”  Akahiko said. “We’re going to do it the fast way though, no use in taking the train since I don’t have anything else to do,”  Akahiko stated. He led Fujin through the city, staying on the top level. It was a bit too much to walk down just to walk back up.  Uzu had a lot of stairs. Though they had gotten a train in the city, not as big as the one that went between  Uzu and Konoha, but it saved time and traffic. 

Eventually they passed the  Uzukage estate and continued into the forest. 

“We have a transportation seal here that leads directly to Konoha. It was this seal father used to transport resources during the war. It was also how  Uzu managed to evacuate most of Konoha’s citizens when the blast came. Those who were here at the time saved so many because we saved time here,”  Akahiko said. He really looked proud. 

He stepped into the seal with Fujin. He went through some hand seals. The markings around them glowed white. For a moment, everything was spinning. Colours everywhere. Fujin felt sick.

Then, everything was back to normal. They were in a forest again, though it was much less tropical and more forest- y than  Uzu . Meaning that they were in Konoha.

“Follow the path, it leads right to the city. I  gotta go back and deal with some work,”  Akahiko said. Fujin nodded.

“See you tomorrow,  Akahiko ,” Fujin said.  Akahiko smiled.

“Yeah,”  Akahiko replied before disappearing again. 

Fujin didn’t linger at the seal site. He headed towards Konoha. 

He liked walking through the forest. It was calm. It was a contrast to the city. And while Fujin didn’t always like silence, because back when he was with  Orochimaru it had just been a warning that something was going to happen, this kind of silence made him relax. 

Luckily, he didn’t have to go downtown to get to his house. Sure, Konoha was always bustling, but he only had to walk by the wall, which was far less crowded than  in the middle of the city, until he got to the clan compound area. It was more secluded, and one didn’t go there unless you had business there. 

So, he arrived at his house about fifteen minutes later. He opened the door.

“Saku,  Naegi , I’m back!” Fujin announced loudly. He heard  footsteps run down the stairs, and then Saku stumbled into the hallway.

“You’re early!” Saku exclaimed. Fujin grinned. He walked over to Saku. She looked fine at least. Nothing happened to her, now where was  Naegi ?

“Dad got a call something happened, he sent me back. What’s going on?” He asked.

“We were having this tournament at the academy, and then me and  Naegi fought and people began asking a lot of questions. We got swamped and  Naegi got this panic attack. We got sent home. He passed out on the way, he’s awake now and feeling much better. But we only got back about an hour ago,” Saku explained quickly.

“Panic attack. Did he seem fine before?” Fujin asked. Saku nodded.

“I think he got overwhelmed. He didn’t show any nervous signs before when they surrounded us. We were joking around like usual,” Saku said. Fujin nodded. 

“We can talk about it later, I’m going to order some food and we can relax. No reason for us to stress more than we have to,” Fujin said with a smile. “Want to do a pyjama day again?” Fujin asked. Saku’s eyes lit up.

“Hell yeah!” She exclaimed. “ I'm going to go up and tell  Naegi ! We need snacks! Do we have snacks?!” Saku asked quickly. Fujin crossed his fingers, creating a shadow clone.

“Dad gave me an allowance, I’ll get the shadow clone to pick up more snacks,” Fujin said and handed the clone the money. 

“Pyjama day!” Saku exclaimed loudly before running back up the stairs. Fujin chuckled. It was weird how quickly they were adapting.  But it was good. They might be safe for now, but they all knew that it was only a matter of time.  Orochimaru wouldn’t simply give them up. If pyjama day would give them some joy, Fujin would gladly do it every day. 


	4. The girl on the other side of the wall

Naegi didn’t like to think about what had happened the day before. He appreciated Fujin and Saku’s avoidance of the subject, and the entire pyjama day concept was  a nice way to relieve some of the tension. He was glad Fujin was back. The hours he was in  Uzu felt much longer than he had expected. They had done a lot of ‘pyjama days’ when they were kids. It brought back memories. The mountains of snacks and sugary drinks, pizza and more candy than  Naegi would like to admit having consumed was piled around the living room. Pillows and duvets were still all over the place, and  Naegi was glad  Fujin left clones to clean up their mess. 

They were walking towards the train station. They had let Fujin go through the seal because he was needed quickly, but it wasn’t something they were supposed to make a habit. 

“Now remember, you are at the academy to socialize, not train. Sure, you need the theoretical, but I can also help you catch up on that. Don’t stress over it,” Fujin said.

“Fujin, relax. We know,” Saku said. “Besides, I figured out that if we need to escape, they can’t really stop us,” Saku grinned. Fujin stared at her blankly, before he simply patted her shoulder.

“Don’t cause too much trouble,” Fujin said finally.  Naegi stayed silent. He felt kind of... awkward, he supposed. He was embarrassed about the day prior’s events. He knew Fujin was being careful because of him, and he didn’t like it. He wanted to take care of Fujin and Saku, not the other way around. He supposed it was kind of bad to think like that, but he couldn’t help it.

“ Naegi ,”  Fujin said.  Naegi looked at him. “It doesn’t matter. No one is expecting us to be okay right now, we’re adapting,” Fujin stated.  Naegi’s mouth twitched.

“You make it seem easy,” he said softly. Fujin lowered his gaze. 

“We can talk about this later, at home,” Fujin said. The train station came into view as they walked up the stairs. 

“Yeah,”  Naegi said quietly. 

“Right, you guys should go to the academy. Try and get some friends that will make your school life more tolerable,” Fujin said with a wide smile. Saku laughed. She grabbed  Naegi’s hand, waving wildly with her other one. 

“We’ll pick you up when you get home! Remember that you eat with your family today though, we must too!” Saku exclaimed. 

“Right, I forgot,” Fujin admitted with a laugh.  Naegi smiled. Fujin was genetically modified to be so smart, and he forgot simple appointments. He supposed there was somethings he  wasn’t able to do.

\--

The day went  pretty well .  Fujin trained with  Akahiko until he couldn’t feel his legs. It was nice to work out. After lunch, he practiced with restraining himself. That was the real work. He had to fight shadow clones for a certain amount of time without popping them.

He hadn’t succeeded yet. 

Akahiko had informed him that he would begin to train in public.  Akahiko would of course not use real people to approach him, but shadow clones using transformation. It allowed Fujin to try and restrain himself when he wasn’t expecting things. Though it was for him to get used to walking  around as well. He was going to start doing it later, but not  at the moment . He still wasn’t safe enough for that. 

The family dinner had been nice.  Umi adored him, and Fujin would lie if he wasn’t slightly enamoured himself. 

Sora and Minato continued to tease him. Fujin learned quite quickly that they were pranksters, to  Akahiko’s disappointment. 

If there was one thing Fujin liked the most, it was being around his mother. He had missed his entire family dearly, but there was something special about his mother. She had hugged him when he came, and while he had tensed up at first, he had almost instantly relaxed into her embrace. 

It was the first time he had felt  really safe for some time. 

His father had been able to drop by, but he couldn’t stay. He had a lot of work to do, and not so much time to do it. Fujin knew that his father used shadow clones a lot to deal with his work, enough that he didn’t have to spend nights at the office. But to make sure that he wasn’t exhausted, he couldn’t overdo it. Had he used several dozens of clones, he could have been too tired in case of an emergency. He had done it in the beginning, but he was soon advised against it. 

Fujin’s grandfather had finally been cleared from all suspicion, and the older Minato, Minato sr. If you want to call him that, had joined in on the training of Fujin. This allowed  Akahiko to focus a lot on himself as well. 

Fujin was glad that they were making progress, but it wasn’t fast enough. He felt so insecure when  Saku and  Naegi were in a different country – even if he could get there by using the seal within a minute. He was also terrified if  Orochimaru suddenly showed up.

He was always worried about that. 

When it was time to go home, Fujin was walked back to the train by his mother. She hadn’t really been able to spend that much time with him while he was training, and she usually worked at the hospital as well. 

“I’d like to teach all three of you medical ninjutsu,” Sakura said as they arrived at the train station. “We can use the weekends to train, if you all want to. Even if only one of you want to. I would come to Konoha with Haku, and we along with Yuki would train you in the different areas of expertise,” she explained. Fujin nodded along. He smiled softly at her.

“Thank you, I’ll tell  Saku and  Naegi about it,” he said. Saku smiled back. She gently placed her hand on his shoulder.

“Be careful on your way home, okay?” She said. Fujin nodded. 

“I can take care of myself, besides,  Naegi and Saku is going to meet me at the station,” Fujin said. Saku ra smiled, though her eyes were sad. Fujin sighed. He understood where the adults were coming from. They were all feeling regret. They were sad about what had happened to him and the others. Yet, there was nothing they could do with it now. Fujin didn’t want their pity. He knew Saku and  Naegi didn’t want it either. 

“We’ll see you tomorrow,” Sakura said softly. Fujin smiled. He wrapped his arms around her. It was comforting, even though he didn’t feel like he was much of a hugger. 

-

Saku and  Naegi’s day had gone very smoothly. No one questioned what happened the day before.  Hitomi had managed to approach  Naegi and talk with him very calmly, but Saku noted that he was a lot more reserved than he had been. Saku on the other hand, easily made friends. Especially Hana and Tai Lee. Hana wasn’t  really what Saku expected to be her type, but the Yamanaka was a lot more down to earth than Saku had expected. She was  really nice , reminding  Saku somewhat of  Naegi’s mother. Tai Lee was just as energic as Saku, and he was a beast in  taijutsu . Saku was better, which was quickly discovered when the two sparred against each other, but the boy declared her his ‘eternal rival’. 

Saku liked being in the academy. It was a completely different change of atmosphere and she was beginning to recall the good feeling of messing around, having fun – playing pranks. Hana was strangely mischievous. Saku hadn’t expected it. 

Still, she was a bit worried about  Naegi . He seemed to be getting along well with  Hitomi , but that was about it. He was very quiet. Yet, Saku didn’t want to confront him about it. She wasn’t the one to say anything about dealing with things – she wasn’t really handling it well either all the time. She had always been a social butterfly.  Naegi , well, he had been shy as a kid too. Yet, this was a bit different. 

She and  Naegi had some extra classes to catch up with the theoretical things the others had gone through the past two years.  Naegi did well, despite not having gone much to school. He accepted each task without complaint and did them with only some problems. 

Saku was less confident in her abilities. The mathematics went over her head, and she couldn’t remember the ninja history even if her life depended on it.  Naegi tried to help her, but they had both accepted that  simple truth .

Saku was dumb. She was  _ really  _ dumb .

And not only that, but Shino gave them lots of homework. By the time they were going to meet Fujin at the station books towered above them as they tried to carry their homework. 

The train arrived almost the same time they got there. Masses of people poured out from the train, and people from the station went on board. Neither  Saku ,  Naegi or  Fujin were tall. They were still children, after all. Finding each other in the sea of adults wasn’t exactly easy.

However, Fujin got to them soon. He looked uneasy in the crowd, but he seemed to relax once he had gotten safely in their reach. 

The three made their way towards their house. The moment Fujin got some space, he created two shadow clones to take the books from  Saku and  Naegi . 

“Mom wants to teach us medical  jutsu along with a dude called Haku and your mother,  Naegi ,”  Fujin said as they walked down the road to their house. The sun was setting, an orange hue covering everything. Sunsets in Konoha were always colourful. The city was painted in reds and golds. Deep, vibrant lighting giving the city a look that seemed to be taken straight out of a comic book. “I think it’s  a good idea ,” Fujin continued. “We can’t rely on our own healing, and Saku doesn’t have a healing ability. It could have been enough for her alone to learn it, but I think we all could benefit. Let us help other people, and not just hurt them,” Fujin said.  Naegi nodded along.

“Sounds good. When do we do this though? Me and Saku have so much homework,”  Naegi chuckled. 

“Mom said during the weekends. I’m going to teach you the shadow clone  jutsu . That will let you do your own homework and study all the time,” Fujin said. Saku smiled excitedly.

“Finally!” She exclaimed. She had been wanting to learn that technique ever since Fujin started using it. Honestly, him just lazing around while his clones did all the work was envying. 

They entered the compound, and Fujin’s clones hurried along and got  Saku and  Naegi’s books to their study room.

The three walked into the living room, and while neither  Fujin nor  Saku had said anything,  Naegi knew that this was the time they were going to talk - and talk for real. 

Fujin went ahead to make a shadow clone that would make them some refreshments. They moved to the sofas.  Fujin sat down on the chair at one end of the table, while  Saku and  Naegi picked their own sofas to sit on. The three looked at each other carefully, none of them really wanting to start the conversation, even though they all knew they had to. 

“ Right, I know this isn’t a  really comfortable conversation,”  Fujin said quietly. “But we need to talk about it,” he added. 

“Because we’re family,”  Naegi said in agreement.  Saku nodded but didn’t say anything.

“ Naegi , you said that I made ‘being okay’ seem easy,”  Fujin started. “The truth is, I have not been okay, but I have been…  covering it up, I suppose,”  Fujin said.  Naegi and  Saku’s eyes widened.  Fujin raised his hands. “It’s not like I wanted to hide it from you because I thought less of you, I just… didn’t want you to worry more about me. I know that my mental state has already been questioned, and the chance that I might just be stolen off to  Uzu and kept here because I’m not able to become a ninja… I was scared,”  Fujin admitted.  Saku seemed to relax. She sunk into the couch, making her seem even smaller than she was. 

“What happens?”  Naegi asked.  Fujin met his hardened gaze. He sometimes forgot how  Naegi had seen death and encountered battle a lot more than  Fujin and  Saku had. 

“Night terrors. About the time I was tortured,” Fujin replied.  Naegi sucked in a breath. “I put a silence seal that I activate when I go to sleep, so that I won’t wake you,” Fujin explained. “And I sleep on the train to  Uzu and back ,” Fujin continued. “It’s something I will have to talk about during those therapy sessions that our parents have put us up for,” he chuckled.

“I blacked out for a second, and when I came to I was back in the fighting pit,”  Naegi said quickly. “When everyone was around me, it created this chaos in my head, and what was my memories and reality just seemed to merge,”  Naegi said.  Fujin nodded along. 

“You were really out of it, at least you didn’t start attacking anyone by mistake,”  Saku said.  Naegi huffed, a blush of embarrassment tinting the tip of his ears.

“I think it was handled relatively well, you haven’t had any accidents since, but I guess people have learned to keep their distance,” Fujin said.  Naegi nodded silently. 

“The night terrors,” Saku began. “Have they made you sleepwalk or anything? I asked my mom about certain after effects torture could have on a person, we were briefly in on the subject,” Saku said. Fujin raised an eyebrow, obviously impressed that Saku  actually did some research. 

“Not that I have noticed, I usually wake up after some time and I’m still in bed,” Fujin replied. Saku hummed. 

“We might want to keep a look out for that, having a super soldier walking around at night believing he is being tortured doesn’t sound good. Luckily for us this area is caged in, but if your night terrors suddenly changed themes... well, we won’t know what happens. In your dreams, you are restrained, so your body most likely just jerks around,”  Naegi said. “What? Mom is a doctor as well,” he said when he noticed Fujin and Saku’s slightly surprised expressions. Fujin chuckled.

“You guys should focus on your schoolwork than those doctor stuff,” Fujin said.

“Says the dude who put us up for medical  jutsu training,” Saku shot in.

“Touché,” 

“Let’s put a rule out here then,”  Naegi said. “Whenever there is an episode, I don’t care how serious you think it is or whatever, but we put it up. We can make a tablet or something to hang in the kitchen or in the bedroom. Whenever there is an episode, we strike it down. If there is one, we talk about it later that day. If it’s serious, we tell each other immediately.  Deal?” He asked. Fujin and Saku nodded in reply.

-

Later that night, Fujin woke up drenched in sweat. His head was throbbing, and he felt like he was going to vomit. He dragged himself out of his bed, his feet touching the cold floor without much of a sound.  Naegi and Saku was sleeping next to him, the bedside table between Fujin and Saku’s bed had a lamp that was always on, secured with a seal to make sure that it didn’t catch fire or anything of the sort.

He walked out of their bedroom, listing his way down the hall before making his way out in the garden. The compound had a large forest area around it that belonged to them. It wasn’t made to look nice or had any purpose like the main part of the compound, but it did belong to them. Fujin walked along a river, the sound of running water calming his nerves as well as the night air helping him ground himself. 

Up ahead, he saw a light. It wasn’t a glowing light, but more of a soft glow. A lamp, perhaps. Fujin walked towards it, not really knowing why he felt so relaxed. He noticed a wall of another compound .

Fujin looked up, seeing a tall building. It looked something like his own house, probably of the same style and purpose. He saw an open window, where a person was standing while leaning out of the window slightly, elbows resting against the  window frame . 

Fujin jumped up to the nearest tree, standing on the branch closest to the window.

“Hello,” he said. The person – a girl – jumped. She looked at him with wide, blue eyes. Her dark hair framing her pale skin ned face . 

“Who are you?” She exclaimed. 

“I’m Fujin,” Fujin replied. “I live nearby, this forest belongs to my compound,” he said. The girl seemed to relax a bit as she got a better look at him. She seemed to be around his age. “Who are you?” Fujin asked. 

“My name is  Asuka ,”

“I’m sorry if I startled you,  Asuka ,” Fujin said. He did try to sound considerate, however he knew that his voice often held a certain... lack of emotion to it.  Asuka shook her head.

“Don’t worry about it, in all honesty, I would be startled even if you didn’t randomly show up. I’m not exactly used to other people,”  Asuka said with a shrug. Fujin looked at her blankly. 

“I suppose I can understand that,” he said. 

“What are you doing out so late?”  Asuka asked. Fujin averted his gaze, looking down at the ground for a moment. 

“On a walk,” he said simply.  Asuka raised an eyebrow, but she didn’t' press further. Fujin was grateful, but then again, she didn’t really have a right to question him. They had known each other for barely two minutes. 

“You don’t go to the academy, do you?” Fujin asked before  Asuka could say anything else. His eyes narrowed slightly.  At the moment , she wore simple clothing. A dark grey t-shirt, he couldn’t see below her chest, as she was resting against the windowsill. Behind her was something Fujin presumed to be her  bedroom . He could see a dresser and a television on the wall next to her.

“I don’t,”  Asuka confirmed, shuffling slightly. She was ashamed of it. Why? Not all civilians went to the academy, especially not after the reforms. However, the compound he currently owned was in the outskirts of the village. The only people who lived in the outskirts were clans, as they needed more space for training grounds and such. There also  were no farms nearby, so it ruled out that possibility. Besides, there were no farms inside of Konoha’s walls anymore. They were outside the village, where the forests began to thin out. 

Was she of a clan? If so, which one? Which clan would let one of their members simply not go to the academy? It might not be wartime, or the need for many  ninjas . However, clans were usually  pretty stuck on tradition, especially since most of them were either grandparents who had lived through two wars, parents who had lived through one, or younger members who could still freshly remember the war or the consequences of the war. Fujin remembered quite clearly how his father had spoken about the war to his older brother. The memorials, the continuation of bodies being found, or remaining traps and  zetsu lingering in the land. 

Fujin stood on his branch without movement, his gaze holding  Asuka’s for a long time. 

“Why don’t you? I would assume that your lack of familiarity with other people would come from a lack of connection with your peers,” Fujin assessed.  Asuka couldn’t mask her surprise. Neither could she hide the increase in her heartrate. Fujin couldn’t help but to feel slightly proud about his own skills. He knew that he wasn’t perfect, he couldn’t measure himself with high level  chuunin or  jonin . Not that rank  actually said much about a person’s strength, Fujin and his friends being prime example of that. However, Fujin knew that he was superior to most ninja when it came to information gathering. He had always been able to read people’s emotions well, and with his newly created status as a  jinchuuriki , he noticed how his senses steadily started to increase. It was slightly disorientating. 

Asuka stayed silent for a moment. 

“I’m not allowed to go to the academy,” she said. She wasn’t lying. She did  actually seem a little sad about it. Why would she not be allowed to be a part of the academy? Also, he would assume her to be less trusting to a total stranger. “You’re not from here, are you?”  Asuka asked. Fujin shook his head.

“I recently came to Konoha,” Fujin said. “I was born in  Uzushio ,” Fujin continued.  Asuka nodded. 

“Well, Fujin from  Uzu ,”  Asuka said. “If you believe I need more time with my peers, you’ll just have to come back here,” she said with a grin. Fujin cocked his head to the side. “I’m not going anywhere, drop by whenever you want,”  Asuka said. Fujin took a step forward.  Asuka held out her arm, palm raised in a gesture to stop him.

“But you cannot go over the wall,” she said. Fujin stopped, looking at her curiously. “If you do, we can’t see each other again, because I will be moved,” she said. Fujin frowned.

“Why?” He asked.  Asuka smiled. “Come tomorrow, and maybe I’ll tell you,” 


	5. Fujin makes a friend

Fujin stood by an  academy training  ground. He watched as Natsu and Haru fought it out on the field. Haru was skilled for his age, but still a first year at the academy. Any second year could take him. Natsu wasn’t too bad himself. It was a  taijutsu battle only, which didn’t let Fujin see what kind of  jutsu they were using. Chances were that they didn’t really have any specific  jutsu as well.

It had been two months since Fujin and his siblings by bond had escaped  Orochimaru . Fujin still couldn’t spar with normal people, however he was learning a lot still. He couldn’t go into open battle with people, but he wasn’t as jumpy as he used to be. 

Speaking of Haru and Natsu; Fujin had developed  some kind of friendship with them. It wasn’t much, but they occasionally had lunch together. Or rather, Fujin had lunch with Natsu, while Haru sat near them just to try and rile up Fujin, to no avail. 

Fujin had taught Saku and  Naegi the  shadow clone jutsu around seven weeks ago, and while it certainly had made it easier for them to study, the absolute horrible ability Saku had to learn anything continued to astonish him.  Naegi had gotten the hang of it, and he seemed to absorb the medical techniques they were taught every weekend. They’d been to seven lessons so far, barely enough to even scratch the surface of the subject, and Fujin, who prided himself of his intellect, seem to struggle with the finesse needed for medical  jutsu .  Naegi , despite having very large reserves as well, had a somewhat calmer chakra to tame. 

Fujin figured it laid in his  jinchuuriki transformation. Whatever chakra control he had before was somewhat disrupted. Even water walking turned into a bit of a struggle at first. His chakra reserves had tripled, and they continued to adapt. It was annoying, but he could survive it. 

He had also spent a lot of nights with  Asuka . She was a comfort in his life. There was something different with her. She was  pretty childish compared to him, but there was a loneliness in her eyes that he couldn’t seem to shake. He wondered what her story was, and despite his insight, he couldn’t make himself research her. He knew he probably could ask around, but a part of him didn’t want to. If she didn’t want to tell him, she probably didn’t want him to know. He didn’t want to ruin their current friendship either. She couldn’t go outside her compound, and Fujin could not go inside. They spent their nights talking, Fujin describing what he saw and what he did.  Asuka read a lot of books, and she knew almost everything there was to know, at least from what an eight-year-old could comprehend. She usually fantasized more than she kept to reality. It was  pretty funny .

On another note, Fujin had experienced some rather... disturbing things. 

He knew that the  hokage had massively improved his security  around the village after Fujin, Saku and  Naegi had been taken from within. While the incident had occurred during the  chuunin exam, it still showed that Konoha’s security system needed to change. 

However, Fujin had seen  _ him. _

He was standing in the corner of his eye. Behind a sign, or in an alley as Fujin passed it. In windows,  behind doors, in the shadows. Fujin knew – he was certain – that it was only his imagination. It didn’t change the fact that Fujin’s increasing paranoia when alone had doubled.

Sure, he didn’t attack people when they touched him, because he had learned to control himself. But he was always looking over his shoulder. And now  it seemed that something new was going down.

His imagination had been following him before, but now he was followed by masked men. They looked like ANBU, but the masks were wrong, and the way they cloaked themselves wasn’t the usual ANBU getup. 

Saku and  Naegi was going to eat dinner with their family, while Fujin’s had been caught up in a slight emergency back in  Uzu . Fujin had decided to go home instead of waiting around. It was winter  time, the sun had set hours ago. The night sky was clear, and Fujin was glad that they had gotten winter clothes as early as they did. Not that Fujin’s clothes were as warm as they probably should be. He preferred practicality – easy to move in clothes – instead of warmth. Besides, he had learnt a chakra exercise by  Orochimaru that let him warm himself with his chakra. It was a good way to improve his chakra control, and at the same time stay warm. 

As he walked down the secluded path to his comp o und, six dark figures jumped out of the shadows, surrounding him. Before Fujin could even react, a barrier rose up around him. Fujin snarled, his eyes glowing red, allowing him to see the masked men. The ones that had been following him. 

“Fujin  Namikaze ,” An elderly male voice said. Fujin turned around. An elderly man, half of his face bandaged, as his right arm. His intent wasn’t evil, per say, but his atmosphere was nasty. Slimy, dark. He wasn’t a good person. 

“Who are you?” Fujin growled. Fujin figured the barrier was interfering with his link to the outside. He couldn’t sense anything outside the barrier, and it wouldn’t surprise him if no one could sense him either. That meant that the sensory team in Konoha would know within a few minutes that he had gone off the grid – you don’t simply lose a  jinchuuriki . It would take another five before the message got to the  hokage . His location would not immediately be found, but within ten minutes this road would be checked. This guy had bought himself around fifteen minutes of talking. Fujin was certain he could overpower the barrier with a burst of the  kyuubi chakra, but he was outmatched seven to one , and he still couldn’t control it at all . Considering that the old man knew who Fujin was, he probably knew about his abilities as well – meaning the soldiers he had with him were not to be taken lightly. And that was without even taking into consideration the chakra pool of the elderly man. He might not be physically fit, but with enough chakra, one can do a lot of things.

“My name is  Danzo ,” the elderly man said with a small laugh. “I am in need of your services,” he said. Fujin furrowed his brows. 

“I don’t see why I should help you,” Fujin said darkly.  Danzo smiled. 

“I’m an  acquaintance of  Orochimaru ,”  Danzo said. Fujin stiffened. His blood went cold, his heart stopping as his breath got caught in his throat. “Shame really, that the man got a hold of you. His marks are still on you. However, I can’t argue with the results. You have truly become a superior weapon, much more so than your father could ever be,”  Danzo said. Fujin didn’t move.

“But yes, I know  Orochimaru . However, there isn’t much of me to gain by losing you,”  Danzo said. “Your teammates however,”  Danzo smiled. His halt of his sentence spoke volumes. Fujin met his gaze.

“I’ll have you know that I’m on a pretty strict schedule,” Fujin said quietly.  Danzo nodded knowingly.

“I will teach you a cloning  jutsu , more superior than those shadow clones of yours. No one will ever be able to tell the difference. Of course, I won’t take you away completely. It would be foolish, clones can only last so long,”  Danzo said. Fujin pressed his lips together. 

“What do you need me to do?” He asked lowly.  Danzo smiled at him, a glint in his eye.

“Kneel,”  Danzo said. Fujin swallowed, forcing his shaking legs down.  Danzo walked over to him. “Open your mouth,” he said. Fujin did as told.  Danzo waved his hand, two masked men walking over to Fujin and grabbing a hold of his arms.  Danzo placed one finger on Fujin’s tongue, chakra visible on his fingertip.

Pain shot through Fujin’s body, but he didn’t flinch. He stared at  Danzo with hard eyes.

“A cursed seal. It won’t allow you to ever speak of me, or ROOT,”  Danzo said with a smile. Fujin’s eyes widened. Now he remembered. Shimura  Danzo , once the third  hokage’s teammate. He created a sub-division of the ANBU called ROOT, it was the so called ‘shadow’ of Konoha. The missions  Danzo deemed necessary for Konoha, but neither the Third, Fourth or Fifth would allow. He thought the man had disappeared during the war. 

“I will teach you the clone  jutsu , and sometimes I will call you to do some work for me. Your seal will burn when I call you, and of course, I will keep it  to night time,”  Danzo said. “If you don’t do as you’re told, who knows what will happen to your teammates, or their family again. It would be a shame if  something happened to them just because you wouldn’t listen,”  Danzo chuckled. Fujin glared at him.

“Not to mention, you are  Orochimaru’s favourite toy. And I promised him I wouldn’t hurt you too badly,”  Danzo laughed at Fujin’s expression. The fear – the realization. 

“Did you really think he would let you go so easily?”

\---

Fujin went to the compound after  Danzo had retreated into the shadows. He knew he needed to do something. He had to figure out how to alert someone about what was happening, without  Danzo knowing. His ROOT agents were still following Fujin, greatly restricting his movements. He might not have people openly following him in  Uzu , but he knew  Orochimaru and  Danzo were resourceful. They would  defin it ely have people there too, without his father or anyone else being able to notice. Especially considering that  Orochimaru had child soldiers as well – they would be able to slip in anywhere. 

Fujin sat down in the living room, rubbing his face tiredly.  Of course, Orochimaru would find him. And yet,  Orochimaru wasn’t the one who did so. He also had to consider that  Danzo could in fact hand him over to  Orochimaru whenever he pleased. 

Fujin went to the kitchen, staring at the little ‘mark if you had a bad day’ tablet. Did this count as a bad day? He wasn’t sure. He couldn’t tell them. They would do something stupid – neither of them had the head to think through things. They’d overestimate their  abilities much like Fujin had and end up getting caught up in this  entire ordeal. Fujin couldn’t let that happen. 

He shook his head. He needed to blow off some steam. He headed outside to the private training ground. He created who knows how many clones, making them come at him. It was a similar situation to that in the pit. Familiar, somewhat triggering, but that was fine. He needed to get used to those situations anyway. 

Could he manage to remove  Danzo’s seal? Not without getting a full out analysis of it, and he couldn’t keep that kind of research hidden. He needed somewhere or someone to help him, without putting them in danger. 

After a couple of hours, Saku and  Naegi returned home. Fujin had returned to his study, reading as much as he could about  Danzo . His stories usually laid alongside the Third  hokage’s , or in books about Konoha’s history. It wouldn’t make anyone suspicious by him looking up that sort of thing. 

The guilt was eating at him as they were eating supper. They had decided to order food again for  snacks before they went to bed. Saku was rambling  about her day, because she made friends very easily.  Naegi had become pretty good friends with  Hitomi and Kenzo.  Hitomi just seemed to genuinely care for him, while Kenzo had grown a sort of protective instinct. Fujin did not at all mind the latter. It was good that the two of them were making new friends. If he was to go back out on missions... what would happen to him was unsure. He needed them to have a network, so that if he got into trouble, they would be fine.

“Fujin,”  Naegi’s voice rang out. Fujin remained silent, ab s orbed in his thoughts. “Fujin!”  Naegi repeated, louder this time.  Fujinn looked up, his eyes widened slightly. 

“What?” Fujin asked casually.  Naegi narrowed his eyes at him.

“Did something happen?”  Naegi asked. Fujin shook his head in reply. He could see Saku having a concerned expression next to him. 

_ I just met  _ _ someone _ was the words on the tip of his tongue, but they wouldn’t come out.  The seal could apparently register intentions. He remained silent. He needed to figure out what he could do with the seal on him. 

“I’m just tired, I got a real beating by  Akahiko today,” Fujin said with a smile. “There was also a slight emergency back in  Uzu , I guess it’s a bit worrying, though I don’t know what it is,” Fujin continued.  Naegi nodded, sighing in relief. 

“Well, if anything comes up, do tell,” Saku said with a grin. Fujin grinned back at her.

“Of course, I would never leave you out of the action,” he said. A knock was heard on the door. Fujin stood up, walking over with cautious steps.  Naegi created kunai from his golden chakra, them appearing in each of their hands. Fujin opened the door, revealing  Obito . The three  kids sighed in relief, the chakra kunai disappearing. 

“Sorry for coming so late,”  Obito said. He looked at Fujin. “Could we have a word?” He asked. Fujin nodded. The two went outside, leaving Saku and  Naegi to their puzzlement. Once outside,  Obito grabbed Fujin’s shoulder with one hand, using the body flicker to transport them to the  hokage tower. It wasn’t as disorientating as it used to be, but it still took Fujin a minute to adjust. 

“Your chakra disappeared for a bit a few hours ago,”  Obito said. Fujin stared at him blankly. “Do you know why?” He asked. Fujin shrugged.

“I was working on a privacy seal, perhaps it disrupted your  detection system ?” Fujin said. He didn’t even shift his voice of tone. He had been taught how to lie without being detected. Not even  Orochimaru was able to tell by the time they left. Not that Fujin had lied to the man all that often. He had never seen the need to. 

“I see,”  Obito said. He chuckled. “Sorry to drag you all the way out here, I just got worried when I got the report. I wanted to make sure that you were fine,”  he added . Fujin smiled back.

“It’s fine,” Fujin replied. “I would’ve done the same if it happened with  Naegi or Saku,” he said.  Obito nodded. 

“The situation in  Uzu has been resolved by the way, it was just a situation about a new student,”  Obito explained, he walked to his desk, sitting down behind it.

“I have some work that needs to be done, I’m sure you can get back to the estate on your own?”  Obito asked. Fujin nodded.

“I will, have a good night,” Fujin said before walking out of the office. On his way back,  sometime after reaching the outskirts of the village, the seal on his tongue burned. Fujin stopped dead in his tracks. A man came up behind him. 

“Walk with me,” he said. Fujin followed him. They walked together in silence into one of the thicker forests inside Konoha’s borders. Somewhere near training ground  forty-four , Fujin supposed by the looks of things. The man activated a seal on a thick three, revealing an entrance hidden by thick foliage. They walked down the stairs, into a long, dimly lit tunnel. After a while they came to a large, empty room. It had a few lamps along the walls, lighting the room in a yellow like  color . 

“Fujin,”  Danzo’s voice rang out. Fujin looked up. The man he followed here knelt.  Danzo was standing on an elevated platform on the opposite side of the room. “It’s customary to kneel before your master,”  Danzo said. “And before you try to argue, yes, that is what you will refer to me as,”  Danzo stated. Fujin frowned, not masking his annoyance as he went down on his knees.

“Then again,  Orochimaru is your real master, isn’t he?  Orochimaru doesn’t know that I control you right now, and I know that you’d like to keep it that way. If you misbehave, I could easily send you back to him,”  Danzo continued. Theory approved, Fujin thought bitterly. 

“I will teach you the clone  jutsu now, create around fifty clones,”  Danzo said. Fujin did as told.  Danzo created five clones himself. The clones made the clones go into groups, showing them the hand signs. “Memorize them, and practice,”  Danzo ordered. Fujin complied without a word. It took him a couple of hours before the clones got the  jutsu down.

“Dismiss them,”  Danzo said. The clones disappeared without a trace, another thing  Orochimaru had made him learn. Shadow clone smoke usually came from excess chakra just being dispersed. He had to control the chakra, making it disappear in a less visible manner. 

“Create a clone,”  Danzo said. Fujin did as told.  Danzo walked over to him, looking at the clone carefully. He then slammed his cane into the clone, flinging it across the room. The clone didn’t say anything. “It’s good,”  Danzo said. “Your intellect knows no bounds,” he added approvingly. He then handed Fujin a folder. 

“This man is not a ninja, but a rather powerful person non e theless. He lives around three days travel from here. Kill him,”  Danzo said. Fujin nodded. The location, picture and general behaviour was written in the report. It wouldn’t be a problem.

\---

Naegi had felt that Fujin was acting weirdly. It wasn’t like his behaviour was  noticeably different , he just felt wrong. Saku was chatting about with Tai Lee, the  taijutsu expert in their class. They were working together on a few different fighting styles. Kenzo was also with them, watching them so they wouldn’t do anything too stupid. 

Next to him was  Hitomi , who was watching the group with a fond smile. 

“Saku is really getting along with the rest of the class,” she commented.  Naegi nodded in agreement.  Hitomi looked at him.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t want to try and get to know the others a bit more?” She asked softly.  Naegi shrugged.

“I like smaller friend groups, I will get to know the others more with time, we still have quite a few years here in the academy,”  Naegi said.  Hitomi hummed. 

“That’s true,” she said. She shuffled a bit where she sat. “My mother and father thought it would be a good idea to invite everyone over for a little party this weekend, S aturday ,” she said. “My friends anyway, which are mostly the clan heirs. It would be a nice way for you guys to be able to mingle a bit more in a different environment,”  Hitomi said. “You could also invite your other friend,”  Hitomi said. Yes,  Naegi had mentioned Fujin, especially now that he was acting weird. 

“I can ask him,”  Naegi said. “But he’s not a people’s person. In fact, he might not want to come because he’s afraid of hurting someone by accident,”  Naegi said.  Hitomi looked at him, confused.

“Fujin is just as strong as me and Saku, but he lacks control, at least he did. He’s better now, but he’s still careful around people,”  Naegi explained.  H i tomi nodded understandingly.

“Well, ask him. Hopefully he’ll see it as a good opportunity to meet some more Konoha people his age,”  Hitomi said confidently.  Naegi laughed.  Hitomi always went between a very sweet and caring manner, to a confident and wild one within the blink of an eye. 

It had been two days since Fujin had that talk with  Obito . Fujin had seemed fine when he returned, despite the trip having taken a lot longer than  Naegi would’ve thought. Fujin said he’d made a stop at an old park. It wasn’t unusual for Fujin to sometimes get lost in the past. He often had this faraway look , but he wouldn’t usually do that when he already knew  Naegi and Saku was worried. 

The next day, he seemed fine as well. He was more tired than usual when he arrived at the train station. Not only that, but he seemed preoccupied. As if his attention constantly was elsewhere. 

Today, Fujin had been buried deep in a clutter of books in his study the entire morning. He had barely  slept and sent a shadow clone to his dad just to say that he wasn’t feeling well. 

Jinchuuriki couldn’t get sick. Or at least not unless it was a very serious illness. Something wasn’t right, but  Naegi just couldn’t place his finger on it. 

Once the academy hours were over, he and Saku headed home. Fujin greeted them as they entered. He was in the kitchen, a blue bandana o f a sort wrapped  around his head, keeping his hair out of his face. He had a book in one hand, and a cup of hot beverage in the other. He sat with his feet crossed, looking at a book about Konoha’s history. 

“Fujin,”  Naegi greeted, walking over to him. “ Hitomi invited us to a party this S aturday , mostly just the clan heirs,”  Naegi said. Fujin pursed his lips, his brows furrowed.

“I don’t think that it’s a good idea for me,” Fujin said.  Naegi huffed.

“You can at least try, you’ve never met any of them,”  Naegi said. Fujin looked up at him. There was that gaze again. As if Fujin was staring into the future, as if he knew something was going to happen, but wouldn’t share. 

“I’d rather train than spend time socializing,” Fujin stated. His gaze darkened, his lips pressed into a thin line. “I have to,” he added quietly.  Naegi’s face turned into a grimace.

“Why?” He asked. “Why is it always training with you?!” He added loudly. 

“Because if I don’t, who knows what will happen!” Fujin shot back. He snapped his book together, placing the cup on the table before standing up abruptly. 

“We’re safe here!  Orochimaru can’t reach us!”  Naegi exclaimed. 

“He has done it before!”  Fujin roared.

Silence. 

Fujin’s hard glare, his eyes a deep red. His whisker marks had  deepened , they looked more feral.  Naegi walked over to him with quick steps, grabbing a hold of his shirt. 

“Then we’ll deal with it together! We need help! You can’t do everything on your own!”  Naegi shouted. Saku stood in the doorway, her eyes wide. She didn’t seem sure what to do. 

“You go ahead and do that then! Find your help! The reality is that when we invite people to help, we invite them into danger!” Fujin retorted, pushing  Naegi away from him. 

“Guys, stop!” Saku shouted, walking over to the two of them. She grabbed a hold of their shoulders. “We can’t argue with each other!” She said. Fujin looked at her, his glare not wavering. She took a hesitant step back. 

“You can go play good friends with everyone, but I  _ can’t,”  _ Fujin said. He grabbed his book, stalking away. Saku looked at  Naegi , who’s eyes  were filled with tears. 

“Hey...” Saku said softly, pulling  Naegi into a hug. “We’ll get through this, he’s probably just scared,” she said.  Naegi nodded silently. 

Fujin spent three days in  Uzu after that night. The house felt strangely empty without him, yet Saku knew he needed the space. Fujin always needed to analyse a situation, and when things seemed unclear for him, he went into a frenzy. It had happened on missions before. 

However, when he  returned, he was completely different. 

He had latched onto  Naegi and Saku in a hug. Instead of just being gone for a few days, he seemed like he hadn’t seen them for weeks. It did feel like that sometimes though. They had never been separated for that long before. Perhaps that was what he was feeling. 

“I’m sorry,” Fujin said. Saku and  Naegi both shook their heads. 

“We’re fine,” Saku said.  Naegi smiled brightly. 

“We’re together,” he said. Saku nodded in agreement. Fujin smiled back softly. They went to the house together, and Fujin made them go through another pyjama day. Not that it bothered any of them. 

-

“Your mission was successful,”  Danzo said. Fujin nodded. He had left the house not long after Saku and  Naegi had fallen asleep, leaving a shadow clone in his place in case they woke up. 

“The man is dead,” Fujin said. He threw a scroll at  Danzo . “His head,” he said.  Danzo nodded approvingly. 

“Your clone was acting weirdly when you were gone,”  Danzo stated. Fujin took a deep breath. 

“He was reacting to me being away from Saku and  Naegi . I’m still heavily dependent on them. He was worried something would happen, and he would be unable to protect them as I would,” Fujin explained.  Danzo nodded.

“You’re going to have to control yourself better next time, your team was being suspicious. If they dig for information, they will be digging their graves,”  Danzo threatened . Fujin swallowed his anger. 

“I understand,” he said. 

-

The next day, Fujin went to  Uzu . He was looking forward to it. Despite having the memories of the clone he’d left in his place, he had still not been in  Uzu for some time now. He missed his family. 

He arrived at the academy with his brother in the morning. They once again went to work with the shadow clones. In their weakest forms, shadow clones were easily taken out. Fujin’s tests often went on fighting many, without dispersing them. He hadn’t been successful. Whenever the battle started, he would feel the energy of the pit around him. The clones would be dead before they even got close.  Akahiko’s growing frustration hadn’t gone unnoticed. If it was because of Fujin’s lack of progress, or the fact that  Akahiko himself felt like he was failing, Fujin wasn’t sure. 

When lunch time came, Haru and Natsu waved him over.

“They’re letting the new student come in our class,” Natsu said. “Says his skill is good enough, despite having no background, but he is a year older” he added. Fujin shrugged.

“I don’t really spend any time with your class anyway,” he said. Natsu huffed.

“You know you can, right? I don’t think socializing would be the worst move for you. Half of these people just know of you. The kid who disappeared for two years then came back freakishly strong,” Haru added. Haru had become more pleasant to be around. He was less about bothering Fujin, and more on the ‘yeah, of course I want to fight you whenever, wherever, but I can be c ivil with you too,’

It was slightly amusing. 

The fact that Fujin had been trained by  Orochimaru had been taken as a joke when they first met. Fujin let them believe it was a  joke and didn’t speak of it more. He was afraid that if they got to know how he  actually had become so strong, they would turn away from him. He didn’t want to lose their strange friendship, not so soon after getting them. It was weird, thinking of them as friends, but they were strong. He could trust them somewhat as well. Not that he felt completely comfortable with having friends, but it was getting better. He knew his clone had shouted at  Naegi for pointing out his socializing, and he still felt bad over it.  Naegi didn’t deserve that, but the clone had a point. Fujin needed to protect them. Especially since  Orochimaru already had someone inside Konoha. Not only  Danzo , but Fujin as well. Luckily unaware of the latter. 

“You are  Namikaze Fujin, right?” A new voice asked. Fujin turned around. A male, slightly taller than Fujin himself, light brown eyes and long brown hair which was tied in a loose ponytail. He wore a dark green shirt with a dark grey jacket over it, black pants and sandals. 

“Who’re you?” Fujin asked. Natsu jabbed him with his elbow.

“The new kid,” he whispered. Fujin shrugged.

“My name is  Arima , and I was hoping we would be able to have a talk, Fujin,”  Arima said. “In private,” he added. Fujin looked at him. There was something weird about him \- something familiar . He wore lose clothes, it was impossible to see what kind of muscle structure he had. With a slight outreach of his chakra, he could sense that there was no ill intent either. His chakra system was very well developed. 

Fujin stood up, following Arima to the edge of the ground, where people could still see them, but was out of earshot. 

“I suppose you wonder why I wanted to talk to you,” Arima said. Fujin nodded.

“I’m here on behalf of  Orochimaru-sama ,” Arima whispered. Fujin stiffened. His heart sped up dramatically. “He heard you’ve been working with  Danzo , of all people ,” Arima continued. He clicked his tongue. “No worries,  Orochimaru-sama recognises that he can’t take you from here yet,” he said. “Not only that, but he sees that your training with your father might be beneficial to him as well,” 

“Shut up,” Fujin snarled. “Get the hell away from me,” 

“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” Arima said. “My mission is to watch you while you’re here in  Uzu , and act as your handler. If  Orochimaru wants something done, it will be done.  Danzo will soon be put in his place as well. The man has lost a lot of power, and the only reason he’s alive is because  Orochimaru owns him,” Arima explained. “You fuck up, I will have direct view of your family here.  Danzo has your family in Konoha,” Arima continued. He placed his hand on Fujin’s shoulder, smiling. 

“I’m certain we’ll be good friends, but know this...” Arima opened his hand, revealing a snake pendant. “You belong to  Orochimaru , you’ll always belong to him. You will return to him eventually, and since you ran away... I’m sure he’ll make sure you’ll go through hell if you disobey. You better act nice and do as your told,” Arima said. Fujin snatched the pendant from his hand. He knew that it  was a tracker. He knew that once he put it on, it wouldn’t be taken off. He twirled it around his hand.  It tightened itself, making sure it wouldn’t fall off. Fujin then hid it under his sweatband. 

He should’ve known  Orochimaru would be able to control him again. 

“Good boy,” Arima said, backing away from him. “Continue doing the missions  Danzo assigns to you, and if you try to expose me... know that  Orochimaru has more eyes and ears. It won’t go well for you,” Arima said. Fujin looked at the ground.

“I don’t care what happens to me,” he said darkly. “But leave Saku and  Naegi out of it!” Fujin snarled. Arima’s eyes widened for a split second. Had Fujin been any other, he would’ve missed it. Arima looked back to Natsu and Haru.

“We better get back to them,” he said and walked away. 

-

Two years passed. Fujin had done more missions than he would like  to admit . Luckily, no one had noticed. He felt bad for lying, but there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn’t endanger Saku and  Naegi , and he couldn’t endanger their families. He couldn’t endanger his family. 

The constant exposure to battles and his missions continued to counteract his progress with being more controlled when he was around normal people. His father was worried, and  noticeably so. Not to mention that  Akahiko was also frustrated by it all. 

Currently, he was sitting with Saku and  Naegi in his study. He had several bottles of ink around him, his eyes furrowed in concentration. 

“Fujin, what is this seal?”  Naegi asked cautiously. He shivered as Fujin placed the brush against his shoulder.

“The  ketsugou ,” Fujin  replied . “It’s based on Saku’s sharing  jutsu ,” he said. He let his brush move with grace unbefitting of a child. Accurate movements, every stroke having a specific purpose. “Think of it like a direct link between the three of us. However, not only will it let us share vision, but all our strengths. I also tweaked it in a way that it should be able to make us stronger,” Fujin said. “I designed four stages,” he started to explain. 

“Stage one will merge our physical strengths,” he said. “Speed, instincts, power,” he created a shadow clone which started on Saku’s seal. “Right  now, you see the seal in  its full state, in stage one, the seal will only be visible on your forearm,” he said, motioning where the seal would fade out.

“Stage two is only possible to activate with me present, meaning we can all enter stage one on our own,” Fujin said. “However, the ones that do not activate it will still feel its activation, and know something’s up,” he added. “Anyway, stage two lets you guys use the  kyuubi chakra, when I learn to control it anyway. It’s a link to my seal,” he said. “It will give you even stronger instincts, speed and strength. You should be able to sense evil intent, and likely get fangs and claws in addition to the red chakra shroud. Depending on how much we use, the shroud only starts when we’re using one tail worth of power, it’s completely safe up until tail four, at least that’s what I know from what my dad told me to expect” Fujin said. “It’s not something we can hold for long, as your bodies aren’t accustomed to the  kyuubi chakra yet. Mine is, but I still can’t control his power either,” Fujin explained. “Stage two will grow up until your shoulder,” he finished  Naegi’s seal, creating another shadow clone to start working on his own.

“Stage three is  dependent on you two, though we can enter it partially with only one of you, but we shouldn’t do it without going through stage two, as we need the  kyuubi’s healing to be activated to handle the strain,” Fujin explained. “Stage three will share Saku’s  byakusharingan , and  Naegi’s Uzumaki healing and adamantine chain ability,” he said. “Stage three will create markings on your face, but that’s the only  noticable difference, other than the change into  byakusharingan eyes,”

“The final stage is the most experimental of them all, and in all honesty, I’m not entirely sure what it will look like, or how much will change,” Fujin said . “ Theoretically , it should pool  all of our strengths together,” he finished.  Naegi and Saku stared at him. Fujin  looked over their seals one more time. It looked perfect, as far as he could see now. 

“I have to make sure though,” Fujin said. “Do you want this? There is most certainly going to be drawbacks by using the seal, and we’re going to have to work on it a lot before it’s useable in battle,” Fujin said. Saku and  Naegi nodded. 

“We need it to defeat  Orochimaru ,”  Naegi said. Fujin’s vision darkened slightly. He was literally helping  Orochimaru . He felt disgusted by himself. It was like he was betraying  Naegi and Saku, and he hated it. 

“Yeah,” Fujin agreed. He shook his head. “I need you to channel your chakra to me,” Fujin said, taking Saku and  Naegi’s hands in his. “I will redirect them into the seal, so that you can activate it at will,” he explained. Saku and  Naegi did as told, their chakra seeping into Fujin’s system. It was a comforting feeling. Their chakra was so warm compared to his own. The pure joy that ran through him was inexplainable. They had truly come a long way in dealing with their own trauma, unlike himself. Fujin began keying them into the seal,  at least that was just fuinjutsu, and he didn’t need any control of the beast to do it.  With a final push of chakra, the seal glowed in a bright light before shrinking down to their wrist. There was a little black spot on the back of their wrists, and on the front. Four lines pointed towards them in a curvy manner, creating a mirror like effect on the front and back of the wrist. It looked like it worked as it should. 

“Right,” Fujin said and stood up. “We should test it out with someone nearby, instead of doing it when it potentially is dangerous,” Fujin said. He looked at the clock on the wall.

“My train is going to come soon, I should go,” he said.  Naegi and Saku stood up as well. “I know that you aren’t going to start at the academy before later because of the  taijutsu tournament, you don’t have to follow me,” Fujin said. Saku pouted. 

“I like walking with you,” she said. “I don’t like that you have to go every day,” she said.  Naegi nodded in agreement. Fujin chuckled.

“Hey, we’re doing another evaluation today, who knows, maybe I’ll start at the academy full time sooner rather than later,” he said. He knew that he wouldn’t. He was by far not safe to be around. He was an assassin, not exactly classmate material. 

He smiled at them before jumping out the window, sprinting across rooftops to make it to the  train station . He went inside as soon as the train arrived, settling in on a seat. Sometime after leaving Konoha, a presence appeared in the room.

“I understand it so that you’ll be pulled to  Uzu full time,”  Danzo said. Fujin nodded,  kneeling on the train cart’s floor. “You can’t leave  Uzu as you have then, I will make sure your missions are suspended until further notice,”  Danzo said. “However, if anyone gets word of this, or you try to run...”  Danzo trailed off. Fujin pressed his lips together.

“One would think you knew me better than to question me like that,” Fujin said darkly.  Danzo’s cane shot towards him. Fujin lifted his hand quickly, stopping the cane easily. “Don’t get me wrong,  Danzo ,” Fujin said. “I am doing this because  Orochimaru-sama tells me to do so,” he said. “However,  Orochimaru-sama has made it clear that I follow his orders, and the one that’s disposable of the two of us, isn’t me,” Fujin stated. He stood up. “I suggest you think wisely about your moves,” he added.  Danzo stared at him, the anger in his eyes as easy to read as the unhappiness of a toddler. 

“You disrespectful-” Fujin interrupted him with a sword aimed at his throat. 

“I am  Orochimaru-sama's tool, and you are an old man,  who is only alive because my master lets you,” Fujin stated. “You dare to touch anyone close to me, I know all your agents, all your hideouts. They can’t hide from me,” Fujin said. “You may have ordered the Uchiha massacre, but  Itachi had help. I wouldn’t need it, and there wouldn’t be any bodies left to discover,” 

\--

Fujin headed to the  Uzukage tower when he arrived in  Uzu . He knew his father was going to talk to him briefly. They didn’t need another evaluation to  know that Fujin wasn’t ready to be a  full-time academy student. They also needed to give him more training in controlling  Kurama’s chakra. 

The receptionist gave him a respectful nod as he passed her. It was kind of weird to walk around in  Uzu now. The people had become accustomed to him being back, and they all remembered him as the youngest son of the  Uzukage . Some people even began calling him ‘ sama ’ as they did with his elder siblings. It never ceased to amaze Fujin how much respect his father had, and the respect for his family. They were looked at as royalty. 

He knocked on the door to his  father’s office, a clear ‘come in!’ sounded soon after. Fujin walked inside. His mother was seated in a couch along the wall, looking through some medical reports. She smiled at him as he entered. His father sat behind the desk, quickly writing on his computer with a pen between his lips. He turned, writing something on a sheet of paper. 

“Hey son,” he greeted as Fujin walked up to him. “Ready for the day?” He asked. Fujin nodded.

“I suppose we’re going to d o the evaluation, despite the lack of necessity,” Fujin said. His father chuckled. 

“It’s still weird to hear a child speak like that,” he said. He stood up, walking around the desk to place a hand on Fujin’s shoulder. 

“If you feel like the evaluation is un n ecessary, and you just want to stay in  Uzu this year and train, we can do that,”  Ryuusuke said. “However, if you want to try and see if you can go to Konoha’s academy this year, we have to do the evaluation,” he continued. Fujin nodded.

“I... don’t think we have to,” Fujin said.  Ryuusuke smiled softly. He pulled Fujin into a hug, holding the boy close.

“It’s going to be fine,”  Ryuusuke said quietly. Another hand touched Fujin’s shoulder. His mother was standing next to him, a comforting smile on her face. 

“I’m going to give you some money so that you can buy some more clothes, and some packing things. You can pack your things, and then you, Saku and  Naegi can all come here this weekend. The three of you can stay here, and then you stay while the two of them go back to Konoha,” Sakura said. Fujin nodded. 

“They’ll still come around for some medical  jutsu training a few weekends, even though  Naegi has already become a  jonin level healer,” Sakura said with a chuckle. Fujin hummed in agreement.

“I’ll also have to talk to them about me staying here for the next year,” Fujin said.  Ryuusuke let him go from the hug. 

“They can come whenever they want to, as long as it doesn’t disturb their own studies,”  Ryuusuke said. Fujin nodded in agreement.

“Well, you can go train at the academy for however long you want,”  Ryuusuke said. “I reckon you don’t want to go back to Konoha right away,” he added. 

“Yeah,” Fujin replied. He stood up,  straightening his clothes. “I  gotta find Haru and Natsu,” he said with a grin. “They’ll probably start pestering me if I don’t tell them right away that I’m staying here,” he hurried out of the tower, heading towards the academy. 

The academy was always filled with people. Or at least older students were always occupying the training grounds. Haru and Natsu were some of the few younger students who took their training very seriously already. The two were sparring in one of the smaller training grounds outside, having a nice  taijutsu spar. Using ninjutsu in sparring always ended up being somewhat dangerous, and they weren’t really allowed to do it without supervision. 

“Natsu! Haru!” Fujin called out to them has he arrived. The two turned, waving to him as he hurried over to them. 

“Fujin, you’re early,” Natsu said. Fujin nodded. 

“I just finished a meeting with my dad, decided to drop by before doing some errands back in Konoha,” Fujin replied. Haru looked at him strangely.

“Is something going on?” Haru asked. Fujin shook his head.

“I’m going to l iv e in  Uzu the next year, full time,” Fujin said. “For training purposes. The year after I’m going back to Konoha to attend the academy there,” he continued.

“Why do you need to go back there? The normal villages’ academies aren’t really meant for intense training,  you’re way above their level,” Haru stated. Fujin shrugged.

“Because I’m going to be a Konoha ninja,”  Fujin said. “I should spend time with my classmates there, and also the rest of my team is there,” he continued. Natsu raised an eyebrow.

“Your team?” He asked. Fujin nodded. 

“We’re kind of a special case, our team is set in stone already, ” he said, not really wanting to further expand on the topic. Natsu and Haru didn’t ask any more questions either.

“Fujin!” A new voice was heard in the distance. Fujin turned around, seeing  Akahiko walking towards them. 

“ Akahiko ? What are you doing here?” Fujin asked.  Akahiko ruffled Fujin’s hair fondly. 

“I thought we could train a bit even though  you’re leaving earlier. Or rather, I wanted to see if you could spar with people who are lower than you when it comes to skill level,”  Akahiko said, looking at Natsu and Haru. It was slightly concerning, Fujin noted. He hadn’t sparred with anyone who was below  jonin level. They hadn’t dared to do it yet. He supposed it was safer now, but still, it didn’t feel safe.

“Don’t worry Fujin,”  Akahiko said, walking towards Natsu and Haru. “If these two are up to it, since they’re your friends as well, we’ll just give them some defensive seals and such,”  Akahiko explained. He smirked. “ I think it will give them some motivation in their  training as well,” he said. Natsu and Haru looked at him with a mix of curiosity and slight apprehension. Then, Haru’s face morphed into this shameless grin. 

“Of course, I want to!” He exclaimed. “I know that Fujin is super strong, but I haven’t seen him fight,” he said. “And other than the time he hurled me over his shoulder, I haven’t had the opportunity to fight him,” he continued. Fujin chuckled. Ah, a fond memory. He wished the throw would have had more effect on Haru’s pride, but alas. 

“Obviously, this will be a simple  taijutsu spar. And Natsu, Haru, both of  you will need a few seals to protect you from real damage. Fujin, I was thinking of using some weight seals on you to slow your reflexes a bit,”  Akahiko explained. Fujin nodded, while Haru looked  slightly weirded out by the amount of extra work that needed to be done for a simple spar. Natsu watched with a careful eye, but he always had this calculating gaze on Fujin. Especially when they talked about training. 

Akahiko got to work with placing a few seals on Natsu and Haru, and while Fujin knew that this was a controlled environment, he couldn’t help but to focus on the growing unease  that was building up within him. Was he able to contain himself? The potential of him hurting them was still very likely, despite the countermeasures that  Akahiko took to make sure that wouldn’t happen. 

After a while,  Akahiko deemed them ready. He put Haru on the battleground first, him being most enthusiastic. Fujin settled in his combat stance, waiting for  Akahiko to call the match to a start. 

He took a deep breath. It was best to let Haru engage him first, and not rush at him. 

** Haru ** was a prideful boy. Not yet seen the world outside of  Uzu , and it showed. He rushed at Fujin, his fist recklessly cocked back. He was full of openings. Fujin felt his fingers twitch, almost ready to unlock the seal on his right wrist, holding several weapons. He threw the thought away. No one could know he carried weapons. 

Instead, he crouched. When Haru’s  fist came shooting towards him, he quickly stepped to the side. He grabbed Haru’s arm, twisting it around his back. Haru yelped in pain as Fujin pressed the arm to his back. 

“Fujin,”  Akahiko stated loudly. Fujin let go of Haru’s hand immediately, not realizing that he was edging dangerously close to breaking it. 

“Dude! I couldn’t even see your movements!” Haru exclaimed, excitement practically shining.

Fujin turned to look at Natsu, who’s gaze was still narrowed. Fujin knew that Haru might not believe that his ‘joke’ about  Orochimaru was a joke, an unsettling notion. Fujin didn’t really want them to decide that he was too dangerous to be around. He didn’t want them to leave. 

“I think I’m going to head home,  Akahiko ,” Fujin said. “I have some shopping to do, and I need to explain to Saku and  Naegi that I’m staying here for the next year,” Fujin continued while he ran a hand through his hair. 

“What? But what about the rematch?” Haru whined. Fujin chuckled, shaking his head. 

“There’ll be time for that when I come back,” he said. Haru pouted in reply. 

Akahiko stayed silent for a moment. His eyes were focused on Fujin, a small frown on his face. 

“I’ll take you through the seal,”  Akahiko stated. Fujin nodded shortly in reply. He bid Haru and Natsu goodbye before he left with his brother. 

The seal was always a marvel to look upon. Fujin couldn’t believe how much chakra it must have taken to create it and the one on the other end. 

Akahiko activated the seal with practiced ease, sending Fujin through it without entering himself. Fujin pressed his lips together as  Akahiko vanished from view. There must be something that was bothering him. What it was? Fujin didn’t know. 

Arriving back in the land of fire’s lush forest was nice. Fujin loved the salty air and cool wind that was permanent in  Uzu , but it held a completely different feeling than warm breeze that surrounded Konoha. 

Fujin wasn’t sure how to explain a feeling of home, but something about Konoha’s forests were familiar. It reminded Fujin of where Saku and  Naegi was, and if Fujin was to say anything, they were his home. 

It around midday, meaning Fujin had at least another hour before the  taijutsu tournament was to begin. Since he was here, he could at least make an appearance. 

He created a few shadow clones, transforming them into random people. He didn’t want Saku and  Naegi to spot him. It was more fun when it was a surprise. 

And so, he made a quick transformation of himself. He sent one of the clones to buy clothes, in addition to finding some packing bags and the like. He wasn’t exactly looking forward to talking to them about things, but he could at least do his best to make it a fun night anyway. 

The remaining clones were left to the task of getting snacks and prepping the house. Fujin decided to go to the academy. He wanted to check out the class. 

The size of the Konoha academy had grown a lot since his father was a child. It looked a lot more modern, but even when it was newly built, the Konoha academy didn’t hold a candle to the size of the  Uzu academy. Then again, it was only housing a third of the number of students  Uzu had. 

Fujin made sure to mask his chakra. He could see that a lot of parents and young siblings had gathered around a large training ground, fitted with spectator benches and the like.  Se e md like this tournament was a big deal. Fujin grinned.

They didn’t stand a chance.


	6. Someone should stop teaching children how to murder people

The Konoha Academy tournament was a rather large and popular event. 

All the students attended, their early brackets being decided by class. It was a long event, and so, the younger the students, the earlier they started. Parents loved to attend these tournaments, especially clan heads who had children present. It was a great way to evaluate their progress. 

Fujin spotted  Yachi and Kousuke in the spectator area. A part of him considered to go over and sit with them, since they were someone he knew. Yet, he didn’t want to draw attention to himself. He settled on sitting down in the back of the spectator area. 

Saku and  Naegi’s class was the next in line. The year prior to theirs were all giving the s ign of reconciliation, while Naegi and Saku’s class were lining up around the ‘arena’. 

Fujin knew of most of them,  Naegi and Saku having told a lot about their friends here. They really didn’t seem like much from where Fujin stood. 

He knew that  Hitomi and Kenzo were skilled fighters, by the Konoha academy standard. They were still children, somewhat skilled children, but children nonetheless. Then you had Tai Lee, who was also formidable  taijutsu user. He had really flourished under the tutelage of his father. 

Then you had this generations ’ Ino-Shika-Cho. Fujin didn’t hear much about them, but the Nara had caught his attention. He wanted to know what kind of intellect the boy had. Fujin let his eyes wander over the other students. Most of them weren’t anything remarkable. However, there was this girl on the far left. Purple hair and similar coloured clothing. It seemed like she wasn’t one for multiple colour schemes. She held herself differently from the other  clanless students. Fujin frowned. He should investigate her more closely. 

He watched as  Naegi and Saku stepped onto the field with their classmates. Unfortunately, the teacher had placed Saku and  Naegi together in the first match according to the massive screen that was placed behind the arena. It was sensible, but unfortunate. No one would place two powerhouses on each end of a bracket, because it would only end with everyone else looking like cannon fodder. By placing  Naegi and Saku together, he could showcase their strength and as well let the other students learn by their mistakes and train with people on their level. 

On a positive note,  Naegi and Saku were at the end of the first fights, meaning that they would at least have the best chance of not completely humiliating the other students. 

Kenzo and  Choza went up first. 

Had it been an anything-goes battle,  Choza would probably have stood a chance. However, since the use of chakra wasn’t allowed in this tournament, he didn’t really have any good attack possibilities. Kenzo was fast, and  Choza simply couldn’t keep up with him. 

However,  Choza had the weight and brute strength. It wasn’t easy to knock him out or make him unable to battle further. Due to their size, Kenzo didn’t have the possibility of easily pinning his opponent down.

It took a well-placed kick to knock  Choza down to the ground, and Kenzo wasted no time in grabbing  Choza’s arm and twisting it around. It wasn’t a perfect pin, and in a real battle situation, the enemy would break free. However,  Choza wasn’t a fighter. Not yet. He yelped in pain, slamming his hand on the ground as he yielded. 

The audience was already rather impressed. Fujin resisted the urge to scoff. Of course, they would just get more impressed as they climbed higher in classes, but that didn’t mean they should believe the fighters to be good. 

Giving them encouragement when they still were so low levelled was going to make them proud, and eventually get them killed. 

Next up was  Hitomi and the Yamanaka. 

It was not hard to bet on the winner of this match. The Yamanaka was not known for their close ranged fighting, and even with the skillset of Sai, the girl – Hana – was not allowed to use chakra. She had no visible muscle, and her skin lacked the roughness of those who trained regularly. 

She didn’t stand a chance against  Hitomi’s gentle fist, with or without chakra. 

The battle was over before it even started. Hana didn’t have the chance to react before  Hitomi was in front of her, striking at several of Hana’s joints. It didn’t have the same effect as what the chakra infused gentle fist could do, but it hurt. It made it difficult to move. 

Fujin wasn’t jealous, to say the least. But then again, he wouldn’t have let  Hitomi hit him. 

Tai Lee was against the purple haired girl. Fujin stared up at the screen in the background. Her name was  Sumire .  Kakei Sumire . Fujin frowned. He had never heard that last name before. Probably not someone important. However, he was still put off by her for some reason. 

He was about to give up on his weird feeling when he saw her fight. It was... not very impressive. But her movements were so deliberate. It was like she wasn’t bad because she was bad, but bad because she wanted to be bad. 

Tai Lee won the match and the two left the arena. 

The third match was between  Shikao and some nobody. Fujin watched as  Shikao carefully dodged the sloppy movements of his opponent. The Nara clan was famous for their shadow styled techniques, and their laziness. Fujin expected  Shikao to give up the fight before it started, much like he’d heard happened with his father. But  Shikao was a strangely strong fighter. He was calculating, but there was a fierceness in his eyes that Fujin hadn’t expected. 

He was intrigued. 

In the end,  Shikao won the match. He helped his opponent back on his feet before the two of them returned to the side-lines. 

Fujin watched with disinterest as two other random people fought each other , followed by another six pairs of the same types . Fujin had thought most of the people here were low levelled, but these people were simply... disappointing. Had they really been at the academy for  several  years? 

However, once their match was over, Saku and  Naegi stepped into the field.

Fujin tried to not get too excited. Honestly though, he wanted to just go down to the front of the spectator’s area to get a better look. To be close. But he wanted to keep his cover for a bit longer. They needed to be focused after all.

And then they started to discuss while they circled each other. Fujin raised an eyebrow. Now he wanted to know what they were talking about. 

He saw Saku pout in disappointment, while  Naegi just sighed. The two settled into their starting positions before they began fighting. 

Saku was the first to attack. She moved faster than what Fujin would have recommended, instantly coming into  Naegi’s reach.  Naegi was slower than Saku, but he was stronger physically. He easily blocked Saku’s onslaught of attacks. Fujin was  impressed with the speed they were fighting with. They hadn’t gone soft. 

Fujin watched as their classmates stared at them in confusion . Their eyes couldn’t keep track of Saku and  Naegi’s movements. Fujin would think that they had understood by now that they had to train harder on watching people fight. What good would it do you to know how to fight, if you can’t see your opponent. Fujin chastised himself mentally. They were still kids. No one at the  Uzu academy would be able to keep up with them either, not even the graduates. Perhaps not even the  genin in any village. 

If Fujin was to assess their strength now, he would put them at a high  genin level. The standard for shinobi nowadays was harder than it had been back during war times. Yet, the shinobi lacked resolve. They were too used to peace. 

Saku and  Naegi was once again locked in close quarter combat. Rapid punches and well-placed hit fell around them like a harsh rainstorm. Fujin couldn’t help but to feel a bit proud. 

It was hard to say who was going to win this fight.  Naegi could take more punches, but he also didn’t land as many hits as Saku did. The only outcome of this fight would be when the first one collapsed, and since it was them... that could take a while. 

Fujin let his gaze wander over the spectators. Most of the civilians were simply in awe, but Fujin doubted they even knew what was going on. However, the shinobi watching, at least the adults, had eyes locked on the match. They could see that this was by no means an ordinary match. He heard some of them murmur among themselves on who they thought would win. Most had their bets on Saku, since she seemed to be the better fighter. Yet, they didn’t know how long  Naegi could hold out. 

Naegi pushed Saku back with a good amount of strength, and distance was created between them. There as a tension. Neither of them was planning to lose. 

...And then Saku activated her  byakusharingan . 

Fujin facepalmed. Saku and  Naegi rushed at each other, forgetting the situation. However, Shino called the match quickly.

“Saku is disqualified for the use of chakra,  Naegi wins!” He called out. Saku stared at him for a moment, before looking back at  Naegi who was doing his absolute best to not laugh.

He failed.

Fujin could clearly hear Saku’s loud complaints, and  Naegi had yet to stop laughing. They eventually made their way out of the arena, letting the next fight go back in. 

This one was Kenzo against  Hitomi . 

Fujin originally had his money on Kenzo, since he seemed stronger and more confident in his use of the gentle fist. However,  Hitomi suddenly switched from gentle fist and into the  Inuzuka fighting style. It wasn’t as efficient without the dog – but it was formidable alone as well. 

Hitomi had the advantage. 

She knew the gentle fist style and how it worked. She could predict the movements of Kenzo. But he was not familiar with her other fighting style, and it showed. He wasn’t prepared for it, and it cost him. 

Tai Lee faced  Shikao afterwards. On this match, Fujin really had no clue. Tai Lee’s  taijutsu against  Shikao’s strategy and own combat strength.

Fujin made sure to watch them both closely, because who knew how they would grow once they got more training. He needed to be prepared for that, especially if they were to have missions together at some point. He needed to be able to work with them and use their abilities as well as he could. Watching and predicting their growth was an excellent way to do that. 

Shikao won the match, but not without gaining quite a lot of bruises. He wasn’t as adapted to fighting as Tai Lee was, but he managed anyway. Fujin was somewhat impressed. It was interesting to see how someone could turn the odds with simple steps and distractions. 

Naegi faced a nobody after this match, and he ended it just as fast as  Shikao had during his first match. It wasn’t  really that much to watch, but Fujin could see that the audience was simply in awe of watching  Naegi fight. They were whispering among themselves again, theorizing of the how’s and why’s. 

The finale was a face of between the three victors of the second round.  Naegi ,  Hitomi and  Shikao . 

Fujin noticed how  Naegi was shuffling around  Hitomi . He looked nervous. Fujin didn’t understand why.  Hitomi was strong, but not  _ that  _ strong. It shouldn’t warrant any caution. 

When the match started, Fujin hadn’t prepared himself for the battle that came.

Naegi immediately went at  Shikao , who had completely turned towards  Hitomi . It seemed like  Shikao knew better than to attack  Naegi first, but  Naegi should have seen  Hitomi as the bigger threat. Was it perhaps because they were friends? Did he really favour that over the winning of the battle? 

Fujin supposed he could understand the sentiment if he ever faced off in a tournament like this with  Naegi and some other dude. But still, he would’ve fought  Naegi to the best of his ability. It was about respect for each other as well. 

Hitomi on the other hand, had decided to let the two of them go at it. She had prepared himself for  both of them attacking her by the looks of it, but she jumped back once she saw  Naegi charge at  Shikao . The result of that battle wasn’t hard to determine. 

However, when  Hitomi and  Naegi was the only remaining students on the field, things seem to come to a halt.  Naegi was hesitating. He didn’t want to fight  Hitomi and it showed.

Hitomi saw it as well and used it to her advantage. 

Naegi was on the defensive, not because he had to, but because that’s what he wanted. 

It kept going for a minute or so before  Hitomi jumped back.

“You  gotta take me seriously!” She exclaimed. She glared at  Naegi . “I get that we’re friends and all, but seriously! Everyone here fights to their best ability – and with you holding back like this, you’re just looking down on us! On me!” She added angrily.  Naegi took a step back, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to find a reply. 

Hitomi marched over to him, grabbing his shirt.

“Fight me,” she snarled.  Naegi stared at her, his eyes wide. A small blush formed on his cheek before he nodded.  Hitomi jumped back, getting distance between them.

Naegi settled into his fighting pose again, taking a deep breath. Then, he rushed forward instead.  Hitomi didn’t stand a chance as he quickly twisted her around, pinning her down on the ground in a fluid motion. He waited until she yielded before he helped her back on his feet. She stood in awe, staring at  Naegi with wide eyes. 

One would’ve thought they had sparred against each other a couple of times now. Maybe they just kept on placing  Naegi and Saku together? Fujin frowned. That wasn’t exactly the best way of training. Saku and  Naegi could have taught their fellow students many things by simply demonstrating proper combat techniques. It wasn’t like the practical part of the academy was of any use to them anyway, other than them sparring against each other and keeping their body in shape.

Naegi was declared the winner, the audience roaring in excitement. 

Fujin watched as the class retreated into the building. Fujin smiled, quickly making his way after them. He followed them from a distance, making sure that he masked his chakra. They entered a locker room, changing out of their training clothes and into  their normal clothes.

Fujin dispelled his transformation before he stepped into the room.

“Quite the display you had going on out there,” Fujin said as he saw  Naegi and Saku. The entire class went silent, most of them somewhat on guard. 

“Fujin!” Saku exclaimed happily as she threw himself around his shoulders. “You’re back early!” She added with a grin. Fujin nodded.

“Just in time to watch you guys fight,” he said. 

“You were in the audience? I didn’t see you,”  Naegi said. Fujin smiled.

“Transformation. Didn’t want to distract you,” he said.  Naegi huffed. 

“Had I known you were hear I would’ve worked harder,”  Naegi said quietly. Fujin punched his shoulder lightly. 

“Are you saying you’re slacking  off  when I’m not around?” Fujin said, masking offence. Naegi laughed. 

“You wish. I won’t let you beat me,” he said. Fujin grinned at him. 

“That’s what I want to hear,” Fujin said. He leaned closer to  Naegi , his face right next to his ear. “But if you hold back in battle because of your little crush, I’m going to have to make you work a lot harder than we have already,” Fujin whispered.  Naegi pushed him away.

“I won’t, I won’t!” He said, lifting his arms in defeat. Fujin laughed. 

Hitomi and Kenzo walked over to them.

“Fujin, right?”  Hitomi asked. Fujin nodded. “I’m  Hitomi Hyuuga , I’ve wanted to meet you,” she said. Fujin smiled. 

“I know who you are.  Naegi and Saku speaks of you quite often,” Fujin said. He reached out his hand.  Hitomi smiled back, taking his hand and shook it gently. 

Fujin turned to look at  Naegi and Saku.

“Since you did so well with your tournament, and actually haven’t avoided your studies,” Fujin said, looking at Saku. “I thought that maybe we could go a bit overboard and celebrate,” Fujin said with a small grin. Saku grinned right back at him, clearly excited. 

“I have more matches later today though,”  Naegi pointed out. “I  gotta come back here around six,” he said. Fujin nodded.

“That leaves us a few hours to do something nice,” Fujin said.  Naegi hummed. 

“Alright,” Saku said with a small laugh. “Race you home!” She exclaimed before sprinting out of the locker room.  Naegi was quick to follow her. Fujin was about to go when  Shikao grabbed a hold of his arm. Fujin flinched, quickly withdrawing his arm as if he was burned. 

“Sorry,”  Shikao apologized quickly. “Didn’t mean to startle  ya ,” he said. Fujin nodded in reply, waiting for  Shikao to continue. “I was just... curious about you. I’ve heard of you, but I’m not exactly in  Naegi’s friend group either, so I’ve only heard rumo u rs,” he said. “You seem like the intelligent type, come over some time and play a game of shogi against me,”  Shikao said before grinning. Fujin offered a small smile.

“Thank you, I will if I have the time,” Fujin said. “I should go before either of them break something,” he said.  Shikao laughed, waving Fujin goodbye lazily. 

.

“So, you and  Shikao are friends now! That’s great!” Saku exclaimed happily.

“Friends is pushing it. He simply invited me over to his house someday,” Fujin explained. Saku waved him off. 

“You’re making friends! I’m proud,” she said while sniffing jokingly. 

“I mean, it is a good thing considering that you might come into our class soon,”  Naegi commented. Fujin chuckled half-heartedly. 

They watched a few movies, ate snacks and so on. Completely wasting the hours before  Naegi’s matches. It wasn’t long before they were planning on heading out again when Fujin felt a burning on his tongue. He stiffened slightly. 

“Guys... I think I’m  gonna pass on going out. I’m a bit tired  myself, actually . Is that alright?” Fujin asked.  Naegi and Saku stared at him, clearly confused. 

“Well, yeah, if you’re feeling unwell that’s fine,”  Naegi said, even though Fujin could tell that he was disappointed. 

“Saku, make sure he doesn’t relax too much. He better  win the entire tournament!” Fujin said with a grin. Saku smiled widely back at him.

“Of course!” She exclaimed. She grabbed  Naegi’s arm. “Come on! We  gotta get you all g ood to go!” She added as she dragged  Naegi out the door. Fujin smiled fondly at them as he watched them disappear through the gates of the estate. His face then fell, a steeled expression taking place its place. 

He used the body flicker to the underground hideout of ROOT. 

He stood in front of  Danzo , deciding not to kneel as he stared the elderly man down. Their encounter on the train was Fujin telling  Danzo to fuck off, but the message had probably not reached the man.

“I heard that you’re going to be there full time,”  Danzo stated. Fujin gave a curt nod. “That’s good,”  Danzo added. 

“There is an operation that will happen in Konoha, and you are a potential threat to that,”  Danzo said. “Leave for  Uzu today, and do not return before you’re scheduled. Otherwise I can’t guarantee the safety of your friends and family,”  Danzo stated. Fujin’s gaze darkened.

“ Sumire , come in here,”  Danzo called. 

Out from the shadows came  Sumire . Her purple hair was tied back into a ponytail. She wore a dark purple, sleeveless battle kimono, the kimono itself reaching her down to her thighs. She wore black shinobi pants underneath. She turned so that she could kneel in front of  Danzo . Her back was bare, showing a large red mark, with something that resembled an eye in the middle of it. Fujin knew that it wasn’t a seal, at least not an ordinary one if so. This was an original  jutsu , and judging by the size of it, it could hold something  pretty big .

“You’re ROOT,” Fujin stated. He felt hatred grow within him.  Danzo had people right there with Saku and  Naegi . 

“So are you,”  Sumire stated with a smirk. Fujin glared at her.

“I’m not. I...” he paused. “I work for  Orochimaru ,” he said.  Sumire halted slightly. She seemed surprised. 

“Enough chatter,”  Danzo said loudly. “ Sumire here will make sure that  Naegi and Saku are not harmed during the operation, as long as they don’t get in the way, of course. This is only if you stay away Fujin,”  Danzo stated. Fujin continued to glare at him.

“What exactly does this operation entail?” Fujin asked. 

“The creation of a weapon that will ensure Konoha’s position as the strongest village,”  Danzo said. Fujin narrowed his eyes. He knew that  Danzo’s intention was always ‘in Konoha’s best interest’. But the way he went through with things was bad. His methods were cruel and unforgivable. And he had always been a war-mongering fool who thirsted after the position as  hokage .

Fujin didn’t feel at all comfortable leaving Konoha when the situation seemed to turn in a negative direction. But he didn’t dare risk anything. 

“I also was sanctioned by  Orochimaru for this, as you brought to my attention that you don’t listen to me,”  Danzo said. “Disobey, and he’ll come and pick you – and your friends – up,” he added. Fujin felt his heart clench painfully. 

He saw that  Sumire looked over her shoulder, her face devoid of any emotion. 

“I understand,” Fujin said.  Danzo nodded in approval. 

“Good, now leave.  Sumire , you’re dismissed as well,”  Danzo said. Both Fujin and  Sumire disappeared without a word. 

-

Fujin knew that  Sumire was following. She was good at hiding, but not good enough when Fujin was already reaching out with his senses to check for  people tailing him .

“You can come out, you know,” Fujin stated.  Sumire appeared next to him silently. 

“You were trained by  Orochimaru ?” She asked. Fujin nodded. “Saku and  Naegi too?” She asked again. Fujin nodded again. He saw no reason to hide it from her. “Why are you in Konoha then?” 

“We escaped,” Fujin replied. He ran a hand through his hair. “Why would you work for  Danzo of all people? Don’t you know what he has done?” Fujin asked, staring at  Sumire in disbelief. 

“My father was a high-ranking ROOT agent,”  Sumire replied. “He died, leaving me in  Danzo’s care,” she added. “And I believe in  Danzo’s cause. Konoha... the Konoha that is here now betrayed my family when it turned its back on ROOT, dishonouring all discovered members. It’s a miracle  Danzo managed to get away,”  Sumire said. Fujin frowned. She was delusional.  He felt anger swell up within him. Not a  firey anger. Nothing so violent. It was calm, like the ocean was building up a storm within him. Dangerous, yet not explosive or loud. He narrowed his eyes as he stared at  Sumire . 

“Stay away from Saku and  Naegi , even a scratch on them and I will end ROOT once and for all. Even you. I don’t care if you’re ten years old or not. Go after my family, or their family, and  your on dangerous grounds. If that happens, I will go after you. And then probably ROOT as well, because when I get angry, I  have a tendency to wipe out my enemies,” Fujin stated.

He pulled a sword out of his wrist, just for show. He  didn’t do anything with it, he just gently played with it, but at the same time showing his skill . His  certainity . 

“I suppose that you have been trained well, since  Danzo trusts you,” Fujin said. “And I sense there is a great power inside you,” he continued. He threw the sword, barely missing a vital blow on  Sumire , but enough so that her arm got cut slightly. Blood began to seep through her clothing.

“But I am a monster,” he growled.


	7. Naegi steals a train

Naegi had won the tournament. 

Fujin didn’t try to hide his disappointment about him being unable to see it. He wanted to spend more time with them. 

They had settled in for the evening, all huddled up in the living room with the television playing some movie in the background. Fujin was sitting in his chair, knowing that his clones had finally finished packing and had left his stuff in one of the guest rooms. Fujin knew he had to tell them, but at the same time he was nervous.

Being nervous wasn’t really something Fujin felt all familiar with. He was always  compartmentalizing, he was always thinking of things logically. Yet, sometimes strong feelings, be it anger, sadness or fear, seeped into his train of thought, altering the way he wanted to proceed with things. 

And so, he was sitting in his chair, his legs tucked up underneath him. He was resting his chin on his knees, brows furrowed in concentration. 

“Fujin!” Saku’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts. Fujin looked up, cocking his head to the side.

“What?” He asked. Saku shook her head, sighing at the same time as she was chuckling. 

“I’ve been calling your name like ten times,” she said. Fujin blinked.

“Oh,” he said. “What is it?” He asked. 

“You’re thinking so hard we can hear it,” Naegi said with a small frown. Fujin hummed.

“Sorry,” he said. Saku pressed her lips together.

“You’re leaving.”

Fujin looked up at her, eyes wide. Saku’s face was calm, but her eyes couldn’t hide the hurt that tried to hide behind. He tried to say something, but the words eluded him. 

“Fujin?” Naegi asked slowly. Fujin turned to face him. Naegi didn’t seem all that sad, but rather confused. 

“I have been planning on how to tell you,” Fujin started slowly. “I got to know it today,” he added. Naegi crossed his arms, while Saku went to stand beside Fujin.

“I didn’t want to ruin your day,” Fujin said. “But they want me back tomorrow,” he added. His stomach twisted painfully. It didn’t feel right to leave them here alone. Especially not when he knew Danzo was planning something. He knew that he could have stayed for a few days hadn’t it been for Danzo. It all felt so rushed, like they were being teared apart. 

“But you are free to come to Uzu whenever you want,” Fujin said quickly. “As long as it doesn’t get in the way of your studies,” he said. Naegi huffed, while Saku just rested her chin on Fujin’s shoulder.

“It’s just one year, right?” Saku asked. Fujin nodded. She hummed quietly. “We will get through this,” she said. “You’re not that far away,” she added. Fujin smiled at her. Naegi looked at them from where he stood, his eyes distant. 

“Naegi?” Fujin asked softly. Naegi looked up at him, a grimace forming on his face. 

“I don’t want you to go,” Naegi said slowly. Fujin stood up, walking over to him. 

“I know,” Fujin said. “But it’s for the best,” he added. Naegi frowned. He leaned forward, pressing his forehead against Fujin’s shoulder. 

“I thought we were going to stick together,” he added. He hadn’t forgotten the time Fujin was being tortured. When he was alone, while he and Saku were fighting for their lives in the pit. It was so awfully similar. 

“And we will,” Fujin said. “But I need to control myself, and the kyuubi inside me,” Fujin added. “If I lose control around you – I won’t be able to tell the difference between you and the enemy,” he let his hand slide around Naegi, hugging him with one arm. 

“But we’re still together,” Saku said suddenly. Naegi and Fujin turned to look at her. She lifted her arm, showing the ketsugo. “Linked, remember?” she said with a grin. 

Naegi chuckled, moving away from Fujin. 

“She’s right,” Fujin said. “Even though it isn’t really working yet,” he added with a laugh. Fujin went back to his chair, sitting down with a soft thud.

“We’ll get through this, like we always get through things,” Fujin said. “Promise me you’ll be careful though,” he eyed them carefully. “I don’t want you to get into any unnecessary trouble,” he stated. Saku shrugged. 

“I’m not making any promises. Trouble seems to find us,” she said. Fujin snorted. Saku wasn’t necessarily wrong, but that didn’t mean that any of them usually played things by the book. Trouble finds the people who doesn’t lay low. And God knows they were never laying  low .

“I will do my best to keep Saku out of trouble,” Naegi said. Fujin stared at him. He as just as likely to get in trouble, in all honesty. But at least he’d pretend he could avoid it. 

“Sure you will,” Saku said teasingly.

“Seriously. If you guys cause any trouble, we don’t know what’ll happen,” Fujin warned. Saku rolled her eyes.

“Relax, nothing’s going to happen,” Saku yawned. Fujin tightened his hand slightly as his shoulder tensed up. Luckily, neither of them was paying attention to him so closely that they caught it. Naegi walked over to the kitchen, grabbing a few cans of soda from the fridge before heading back to the couch.

“I have a little errand to run,” Fujin said. “I’d rather have it done now before later, so that I don’t have to leave when we’re going to bed or something. I can pick up some more snacks on the way?” Fujin suggested. Naegi chuckled, knowing already what the answer was going to be from their friend.

“Heck yeah!” Saku exclaimed. “But you better hurry!” She added. “Oh! Can you bring hamburgers from that new place? I really want hamburgers right now,” she said. Fujin laughed, clapping Saku on the shoulder before he headed for the door. 

“I’ll get you whatever I feel like,” Fujin said mischeviously. “Maybe I’ll get you another study guide,” he joked. Saku gasped loudly, grasping her t-shirt as she hunched over.

“You wound me,” she said dramatically. “He has forsaken me, Naegi! Talk some sense into him!” She complained. Naegi smirked at her.

“I think it’s a good idea,” he said lightly. Saku gasped again, even louder this time as she let out a whine of complaint. 

“Both of you are assholes,” she sniffed. 

“I’ll be right back,” Fujin said with a chuckle before he left. He closed the door behind him, taking a deep breath as the cool night air hit him. He headed around the compound, heading towards the neighbour. 

Asuka was always staring out the window at nights. She found them calming, she had told him once. He couldn’t help but to agree. There was something peaceful about the night sky that he couldn’t quite describe. 

“Fujin,” she called out as she saw him coming. Fujin smiled at her, jumping up to the nearest tree and sat down on the branch closest to her window. 

“Hey,” he said. “How have you been?” He asked. She shrugged.

“The usual, you’ve been somewhat irregular in your meetings, you know,” she said. Fujin grimaced slightly.

“Sorry about that, I’ve been busy,” he said. He folded his hands and placed them in his lap. He was saying goodbye to a lot of people today. Sure, it was like three people, but considering the percentage out of all his friends – it was like sixty percent of them. 

“What’s wrong?” Asuka asked. Fujin looked up at her, surprised. She stared at him, her eyes filled with worry as she clenched her hands on the window frame. 

“I...” Fujin paused. “I’m going to be training in Uzu full time for a year,” he said. Asuka cocked her head to the side. “I’m not going to come back here during that time,” he added sombrely. 

“I see,” she said softly. “Are you sure you can’t visit?” She asked, her voice hopeful. Fujin shook his head. 

“There is a problem, and I can’t risk it,” Fujin mumbled. He glanced at the wall seperating their two compounds. “I have a question,” he said. Asuka looked at him.

“What?” She asked. Fujin gestured to her compound. 

“Do you have birds inside the barrier?” He asked. Asuka looked at him blankly for a second before she nodded slowly. Fujin smiled but clenched his hand slightly. He felt like he should’ve done this with Saku and Naegi too, but he knew that they could take care of themselves. Asuka couldn’t.

He brought out a kunai from his wrist. Asuka’s eyes widened in wonder as he applied a small seal on the kunai again. The kunai transformed, mimicking the size of a bird. Fujin gently threw the kunai past Asuka and into her room. He heard it land on the floor with a soft thud. Fujin released the transformation, revealing the kunai yet again. 

“There is a seal on that kunai,” Fujin said. “If you throw it, use it, or anything like that, I will know,” Fujin said. He lifted his left hand, pulling down his wrist band and revealed a small seal. “I can also teleport to that kunai,” Fujin said. “It’s based on my father’s teleportation techniques, but I haven’t perfected it yet. Don’t mention to anyone I borrowed his formula,” Fujin chuckled. Asuka stared at him.

“I don’t understand,” she said softly. Fujin looked at his hands for a moment.

“If you ever feel like you’re in danger, I will come,” he said. “I also won’t be detected upon entiring your compound, but I will be detected going out, since I don’t have any other teleportation seals at this moment,” he paused. “And people will notice my chakra anyway,” he mumbled. He stood up.

“There is just one thing,” he said. “If your life is in danger, don’t hesitate to throw it,” he pressed his lips together. “But if you do it during this year, you could risk multiple lives by bringing me here,” he said. Asuka looked at him, slightly shocked. 

“Is it because of that problem?” She asked carefully. Fujin nodded. “What have you gotten yourself into?” She asked. Fujin looked at his feet in shame. 

“I have been caught, you could say. No one can know of this, not even Saku and Naegi,” he said. “I have to fix this on my own,” Asuka shook her head.

“Couldn’t you get help from your father? Or other adults?” She asked. Fujin shook his head. 

“No, it’s too late,” he said. “I have done... some very bad things,” he explained shortly. “If it ever comes out, I might get sent away somewhere. Then I can’t protect Naegi and Saku,” he paused. “They need me,” 

Asuka stayed silent for a moment. She looked like she was trying to find a solution, but just as Fujin had explained, there didn’t seem to be any.

“I will not make you come unless it’s very dangerous then,” she said softly. Fujin smiled at her, his face brimming with gratitude.

“Thank you,” he said. Asuka smiled at him.

“Thank you too,” she replied. “For being my friend, and for helping me if I need it,” she said. 

Fujin looked back towards the direction of the compound. He created a shadow clone and sent it to go and shop for snacks. 

“I should head back soon,” he said. “I’m leaving tomorrow, and if I don’t spend time with Saku and Naegi, Saku will behave like a toddler for days,” he said with a laugh. Asuka giggled softly. 

“I wish I could meet them at some point,” she said. Fujin’s eyes widened. 

He had never really considered introducing Asuka to Naegi and Saku. Perhaps it was because he was embarrassed to admit that he had a friend, or maybe because there was something nice about having Asuka for himself. But telling Saku and Naegi about her – it could help her be safer. Though he wasn’t certain if Saku could contain herself and not go into the barrier. 

“Maybe I should tell them about you, so that they can visit you while I’m gone,” Fujin said. Asuka shook her head. 

“The less people who know me the better,” she said. “If I get too many friends, I’m scared that being in this compound will just be even more lonely,” she muttered. Fujin frowned. 

He had to get her out of there some day.

\--

Saku hated saying goodbye. She hated leaving, but most of all, she hated being left. 

Watching Fujin enter the train with five clones carrying his luggage was painful. It almost made her angry. She didn’t want him to leave, even though she knew that she could visit him whenever she wanted, and that he was returning after a year. 

The train left the station, and Naegi stood beside her as they stared at it disappearing in the distance. They still had to go to the academy, so Naegi was slowly beginning to tap his foot on the ground. A gesture, if nothing else, to signal that they had to go. 

The realization that Fujin had actually left had yet to settle in, and Saku knew that sooner or later, she was going to feel that emptiness that would linger around the house. They hadn’t been away from each other over long periods of time. Unless you count the time when they were toddlers. Sure, they had been separated when they were...  _ there,  _ but that was an entirely different thing. They hadn’t been away from each other after that. They were always together. 

Eventually, she and Naegi made their way towards the academy. The mornings in Konoha were always something between calm and chaotic. Perhaps a soothing chaos? The people had already begun opening up their shops and setting the stalls up along the main road. Tourists always came pouring in through the gates of Konoha, and the market that lined the main street was always crowded, so all shop owners always started their day early. Even now, several people had begun their daily shopping. Most of the early risers were Konoha citizens, ninja who just came home from missions or civilians who knew exactly how crowded the street would be later in the day. The only people native to Konoha who shopped in the afternoon were those who worked on missions from early in the morning until the afternoon, like the guards posted around the wall. 

It was nice to see the city buzzing with life in the morning. Saku had undeniable gotten used to the sunny life of Konoha, the darkness from Orochimaru’s base had begun to drift back to her nightmares alone. She still couldn’t stand the dark though. 

Her thoughts were interrupted when a large crash was heard in front of them. There was a cloud of smoke and dust ahead. When it dispersed, it showed a broken-down stall, the owner struggled to get to his feet from the rubble. 

“It was supposed to be the two of us!” A man shouted from the opposite side of the street.

“You’re insane! What’s gotten into you?!” The stall owner exclaimed. The nearby civilians had begun to back away, while Saku and Naegi glanced at each other before nodding. Naegi sprinted towards the stall owner, Saku moving to intercept the other man from reaching the owner. 

“Are you alright?” Naegi asked as he helped the owner get to his feet. The owner gave him a short nod. 

“Hey! What was that for?!” Saku exclaimed at the other man. The other man glared at her, a low growl. 

“He doesn’t usually act like this- he's a sweet and gentle person!” The stall owner cried. Naegi frowned slightly. 

“Was it an abrupt change?” He asked quickly. The stall owner nodded. 

“We had an argument yesterday, but he was sad, not angry. And besides, he would never  _ attack  _ me for anything in the world,” the stall owner said. Naegi narrowed his eyes. Mind control? Drugs? He shook his head.

Saku watched the other man warily. He was slowly making his way towards the stall owner – towards Saku who stood in his way. She didn’t flinch or move back. Keeping her ground was important here, because this dude wasn’t stable. If she moved, he could attack someone or do something reckless. Her body was screaming to just take him down. It would really be easier. Some cognitive recalibration. 

“Saku,” Naegi called out, as if he read his mind he continued. “Do it,” he said. Saku grinned. She shot forwards, crashing into the man as she pushed him down to the ground. She activated her eyes, the man’s chakra system coming into clear view as she pushed chakra into key points in the body, rendering him unconscious. 

Saku picked up the man, his legs dragging behind him as she threw him over her shoulder. She heard a few civilians gasp as they saw how strong she was. 

“Think we should perhaps hand over this to a chuunin or something? I don’t exactly think this is a part of the academy’s curriculum,” Saku commented with a chuckle. Naegi was healing a cut on the stall owner’s arm that had come from the debris. 

“Someone will come eventually,” Naegi said. “We’re late anyway. Put the guy down, I’m sure someone will pick him up before he wakes again,” he added. Saku shrugged, dropping the man. He landed on the ground with a thud, and Saku would admit she should probably have let him down more carefully. Honestly though, she didn’t care about his wellbeing after he trashed that other man’s stall. 

“Let’s go then,” Saku said, heading towards the academy again. Naegi nodded, standing up before he went to walk beside her. 

“What do you think it was?” Naegi asked. Saku shrugged. 

“A crazy man attacking someone? Could be anything,” Saku said. Naegi frowned.

“Fujin would probably know,” he mumbled. Saku looked at him, trying to mask her concern. She tried not to think of it herself, but she knew that Naegi was so scared when Fujin was away.

“It was probably nothing,” Saku said. “What are the chances of things going to hell the moment Fujin disappears for a year?” she added with a laugh. Naegi chuckled.

“You’re right,” he said. “It was probably nothing,”

\--

It was definitely something.

Naegi had tried to ignore it, but there had been three similar events the next three days. One each day. The attacks seemed random, the people were civilians of different jobs, children, different areas. There didn’t seem to be any correlation. 

After the fourth attack, Naegi had sat down to think about it. Thinking hard about something wasn’t something he often did, since Fujin with his extreme intellec would probalby have found the answer by now with the use of shadow clones. 

Shadow clones.

Naegi cursed under his breath, creating a few shadow clones. He looked at them for a bit. It was really weird to see copies of himself. Looking at himself. He wasn’t sure if he was ever going to get used to it. 

“Half of you go to our library and check out any records we have on similar events, be it mind control, drug, or whatever. The rest of you split up, one part go to the main library and see if you can find anything, the rest of you... just look around town if you see anything suspicious,” Naegi ordered the clones. They disappeared out the window of the bedroom.

Saku was hanging out with a few friends. Leaving the house completely empty spare Naegi. It was unsettling. Fujin’s bed, the one closest to the window and the door leading out of the room had remained vacant. Untouched since Fujin made it the last time. Saku’s bed was in the corner, a night stand with a little lamp on it. Naegi was in the middle. 

It had taken some time getting used to sleeping without Fujin again. He had often found it soothing to just listen to Saku and Fujin’s breathing as he fell asleep, and when Fujin was gone it didn’t feel right. He’d struggled with sleeping the times that Fujin was gone. It was probably going to be like that for a while now. 

Still, the attacks were a nice distraction from it. Or rather, it was easier to think about that, it wasn’t necessarily nice. 

There were a few people who knew the attackers who had mentioned that it was a sudden change or irregular behaviour. However, since the incidents seem to be rather serious, the hokage had put people on it. Since Naegi and Saku were still academy students, and since Obito was cautious of letting them show too much of their abilities, they had been asked to stay out of the situation. 

It was troublesome, because they had already been berated for getting too involved. Saku’s mother especially had not been pleased with their involvement. 

Naegi laid down on his bed, sighing loudly. He wasn’t sure what to do with the situation. He wanted Fujin to show up and suddenly solve it. It was easier that way. A frown found its way on his face. When had anything been easy for them? Sure, Fujin being there had made things easy, but that didn’t mean that Naegi hadn’t done things himself either. 

Fujin had been Orochimaru’s favourite. And while Naegi hated to think about it – he hated to even admit it, but he felt irritated about it. He was just as good as Fujin. 

He was better than Fujin.

He jumped to his feet, fixing his gaze towards the general location of the train station. He could beat Fujin. He would beat Fujin. 

He began to walk towards the train station, not bothering to move out of people’s way, not caring if he pushed them aside or simply bumped into them. He walked straight ahead. He had to go to Uzu and beat him. To show Fujin that he was just as good. That he could do things on his own. 

The train station was empty. Naegi stared at the terminal. The train to Uzu wouldn’t be there before another ten minutes. He let out a low snarl. He didn’t want to wait. 

A train came into the station. There weren’t many people on it, since it was around midnight. Naegi narrowed his eyes at the first cart. There was only one driver, along with a few workers walking up and down the cart. Naegi walked into one further back. 

There were no passengers on the train anymore. The current train station was this train’s last stop for the day. Naegi smiled to himself. Perfect. 

He walked towards the first cart with slow, gentle steps. When he got close to the middle of the train he was interrupted by a worker.

“Hey, this is the last stop I’m going to have to ask you to lea-” a kick to the side interrupted him. He slammed into the side of the cart, falling prone on the bench. Naegi continued forwards.

The next few workers were nothing but ants in his path. He only needed one of them. 

The person in charge of the train did not sense him coming. However, he was most certainly aware of his presence after the cold metal of his kunai pressed against his neck.

“Take me to Uzu,” Naegi said darkly. He heard the man swallow down his nervousness. He started working around the controls in front of him. The train began to move, switching tracks before it headed towards the general direction of Uzu.

Things seemed to be going according to how Naegi had planned it. They had left Konoha, the portal leading to Uzu was still open, and the train that Naegi was initially going to take zoomed past them. 

It wasn’t until Naegi shot through the carts that he realized that someone had come aboard. 

He didn’t say anything as he stood up. He looked towards the man in charge of the train who was currently cowering in the corner of the first cart. The window was broken, and Naegi knew why. Among the broken glass stood Saku, her byakusharingan activated as she stared him down.

“Naegi, you got to stop this,” she said. Naegi narrowed his eyes.

“No,” he said. “I’m going to beat him,” he said. 

“Beat who?” Saku asked warily. 

“Fujin, of course!” Naegi exclaimed angrily. He saw Saku sigh in relief. Anger boiled within him. What was she happy about? Didn’t she believe him? 

The train was still going forwards, the portal coming towards them. 

“Let’s just go home,” Saku said softly. She began to walk towards him. Naegi settled down in his starting position, his hand glowing with golden chakra as he formed a kunai. Saku stopped slowly. She put her hand up. 

“Naegi-” she warned. Naegi didn’t listen. 

“I am going to prove that I’m good enough! I can do it!” Naegi shouted. Saku’s eyes widened slightly. 

“No one has said that you’re not,” s he said. She took a step closer, but Naegi simply lifted his kunai as a warning in reply. 

“ _ he  _ did. By making Fujin his favourite,” Naegi said darkly. Saku shook her head.

“Naegi, he did that because you’re a good guy. Because you  aren’t willing to do the things that Orochimaru wanted you to do,” Saku said. “Fujin he – he didn’t want to be used. You know that!” Saku shouted. Naegi snarled. 

He jumped forwards,  attacking Saku with the kunai. She dodged it, using a chakra infused jab at Naegi’s wrist to force him to dispel the chakra kunai. 

Saku jumped backwards, creating some distance between them. 

“I don’t want to fight you,” she said. Naegi narrowed his eyes.

“Get in my way and I will not hesitate,” he  growled. Saku shook her head. This wasn’t what she wante d to happen when Fujin left. She sighed. All the other victims had been fine after knocking them out. The same thing would apply to Naegi.

The only problem was Naegi’s healing. It would take a big hit to make him fall unconscious. 

She looked to the side, the guy in control of the train was trembling in a corner. She needed to move the  battle somewhere else, but she knew that she wouldn’t be able to get Naegi off the tracks.

Suddenly, a twisting feeling wrenched through her body. She looked out, one moment they had been in the forest area of the land of fire, and now they only saw the open sea. 

She turned around quickly, seeing Uzu in the distance.

Shit.

A sudden kick to her back sent her forwards, crashing through the front of the train and rolling across the rails. Saku swiftly jumped to her legs, charging her feet with chakra before jumping upwards. The train came storming underneath her feet. She had nearly forgotten how fast it was. 

She landed on the roof, twirling around as Naegi came up through the roof with a crash. His golden chakra was swirling around him. She supposed it was better to fight on top of the train rather than inside it. 

On another note, she had lost her advantage. She could work with roofs and walls around her with her combat style, not so much with limited space to move with and a guy who could manipulate chakra into weapons or anything he could think off at will.

“Naegi, you have to stop this!” Saku shouted. “This isn’t you!”

“No! This is exactly who I am! Who I am meant to be!” Naegi screamed. “It’s what he made us to be!” Naegi rushed forwards, crashing into Saku and sending them both rolling across the roof. Saku yelped in pain, using a lot of chakra to manifest a make-shift weapon. It was based on Naegi’s chakra, but too costly to use in combat efficiently. However, to stab into the train’s roof to stop her and Saku from sliding off the train? It worked just as she hoped it would.

She kicked Naegi off her, sending him back to the front of the train. He made several chains shoot out of his back, making them latch onto the sides of the train and holding him in place. He created several kunai and senbon alike, the glowing weapons floating behind him dangerously. Saku pressed her lips together, making sure to focus on her vision.

“Don’t do this, Naegi,” Saku warned. Naegi glared back at her.

He sent the weapons forwards at record speed, creating new ones as the next hit the train or soared past Saku like a rainstorm. Saku dodged the weapons with difficulty. She could predict where she needed to be, but there were so many weapons that keeping up was hard. She moved closer to Naegi. He was so focused on creating weapons that he hadn’t considered that he had made himself immobilized. Saku needed to use that. 

However, her progress forward was slow. And not to mention that she began to more frequently get hit by Naegi’s weapons. If one hit her, she was slowed down. It wasn’t exactly the best thing for her. 

Talking to Naegi was useless. He was obviously ignoring her pleas, and it wasn’t exactly making her happy. Could he for one second just think? Gosh, was she the only smart and sensible person around?

She hurried forward, but as she was about to make her final push towards Naegi, they hit the Uzu barrier.

And God, did that hurt.

The train, not being authorized to enter, forcefully made its way through the barrier. The metal screeched in resistance as it scrunched up. The barrier itself made a terrible noise as they crashed through.  Naegi came lurching forwards, crashing into Saku once again and sending them falling on the train tracks.  Naegi roared in frustration, creating thousands of weapons that soared upwards. Saku stared up, watching with horror as she knew what  Naegi was intending to do. She whipped her head to look at  Naegi , who was also looking up with concentration. Saku crouched,  chan n elling chakra to her feet and hands as she pushed herself forward, shooting herself from her position like a rocket at  Naegi . She crashed into him, lifting her arm before she rammed her elbow into the side of  Naegi’s head. He flinched, but he stared back at her. The bruise that quickly formed on his head began to heal almost instantly. Saku scrunched up her face as tears welled up in her eyes. 

She channelled chakra to her fist, slamming it down on Naegi’s head. Her wrist cracked as she made contact, and she roared in pain, quickly withdrawing her hand to her side as she cradled it, whimpering in pain as her hand throbbed. 

Naegi was out cold, luckily. Saku let herself fall backward, crashing into the ground. She flinched, the pain in her wrist shooting up her arm. Her vision got covered with black spots. She drew in a ragged breath. She was going to pass out. Oh God. Her breath quickened. She couldn’t see – she couldn’t see! 

“Saku!” 

The calling of her name was distance. She couldn’t focus. Panic filled her body as she clawed on the side of her face, begging mentally – or maybe she was screaming, she wasn’t sure – that her vision would be returned. 

And then she blacked out.

.

Naegi woke up with a gasp. He looked around himself, the smell of the sea filling his nostrils. He was in a bedroom, on a simple bed in a corner. There was a window nearby, a direct view into a lush forest. The sun was shining, and he could hear bird’s singing in the distance. 

The room was simple. There was a nightstand, a wardrobe, a small table with an accompanying chair. Naegi moved to sit on the edge of the bed. Someone had changed his clothes, he noticed as the duvet fell off him. A simple t-shirt with sweatpants. He stood up, heading out the door. He was now in a hallway, another door was on the opposite side of him, while two more where further down the hall before it ended. The other way lead into an open sitting room. The house, by the looks of things was a mix between traditional styled architecture and modernity. Even the doors were sliding rather than opening outwards. 

“ Naegi ?” A voice sounded from the sitting room.  Naegi walked out, seeing a mop of messy  red hair rising from the couch.

“ Akahik o ?”  Naegi asked. 

“It’s good to see that you’re awake, I was told that you wouldn’t be out for long,”  Akahik o said as he stood up.  Naegi look at the ground for a moment, trying to recall.

“What happened?” He asked quietly.  Akahik o cocked his head to the side with a small smile.

“You were influenced by something, we’re not entirely sure yet. Dad’s working on it with Uncle  Obito and Gramps,”  Akahik o said.  Naegi looked up at him.

“How did I get here?”  Naegi asked.  Akahik o ran a hand through his hair.

“Well, an unauthorized train came through the barrier, and we were having a family dinner so since dad and  Sora knew of it first, all of us headed down here, other than  Umi and Mom. Then, a rain of golden weapons appeared somewhere closer to the barrier along the train tracks, and Fujin suddenly disappeared. Me,  Sora and  Minato scouted out the train while Dad went after Fujin. They found you and Saku passed out on the tracks,”  Akahik o explained quickly.  Naegi frowned. 

“Where’s Saku?” He asked.  Akahik o waved him over, beckoning him to sit down. 

“She’s talking with Dad and Fujin up at the tower, giving a report,” he said. “She had a broken wrist, many cuts and bruises. She had a panic attack when Fujin found her. He guessed it was since Saku hit her head quite a few times, in addition to using huge amounts of chakra in a short amount of time. Add that to the shock of breaking her wrist? She probably experienced some vision distortion, sending her into panic. He mentioned something about her not standing the dark?”  Akahik o said.  Naegi nodded, confirming  Akahik o ’s statement. 

“She was somewhat blind for a long time back when we were... there,”  Naegi said.  Akahik o smiled sadly at him.

“Mom healed her up as soon as she arrived,”  Akahiko said.  Naegi nodded gratefully. He  paused ; hi s gaze locked on his feet as the events of yesterday truly sunk in.

“I was so angry,”  Naegi said. “There were thoughts that I had never even considered, not paid any attention to, that were suddenly so dominating,”  Naegi mumbled. “I was ready to kill her,” he mumbled. “It was like  Orochimaru’s training suddenly had taken hold of me, and that Saku, who I wouldn’t have hurt for anything even back then, was just another  targe t . Another job,”  Naegi said.

“After Dad got the reports, he made Fujin look over them. Fujin said that the only correlation between the targets were that they were all behaving angry, or at least showing extreme negative emotions. He didn’t want to comment more on it afterwards . T hat was sometime last morning. I heard there’s been quite the trouble in Konoha, and Uncle  Obito wanted Dad’s opinion on it,”  Akahik o said. He placed his hand on  Naegi’s shoulder.

“I’m pretty sure that what you were experiencing was any little doubt in your body, suddenly amplified enough to make you do some stupid stuff,”  Akahik o said with a grin. “No one is holding you accountable,” he added. 

“What about the train workers?”  Naegi asked.  Akahik o patted his head before ruffling his hair. 

“Dad explained the situation to them, and they understood that you were kind of a victim too. Though, they have all been granted a vacation, and Mom gave them all the medical treatment they would need. Dad also told them that he would take responsibility for whatever happened on the train,”  Akahik o explained. He stood up slowly.

“Do you want something? Food, drink, snacks?”  Akahik o asked.  Naegi shook his head. 

“We need to figure out what made me... do that,” Naegi said. “There was nothing in the libraries in Konoha,” he said, recalling the shadow clones he had sent out. “This isn’t something that has been seen before,”

Akahik o hummed. “I’m sure that Uncle  Obito and Dad will figure something out, but it is better if you don’t get involved. You were lucky that the train were deserted, if it hadn’t, people wouldn’t have been as welcoming when you go back to Konoha again,”  Akahik o stated.  Naegi frowned.

“We can’t just do nothing,”  Naegi argued.  Akahik o glanced down at him. His striking blue eyes were blank for a moment. 

“You know,”  Akahik o started. “ I’ve been a ninja for five years now. And I’ve been on a lot of different missions,” he paused, holding  Naegi’s gaze a little longer. “When you go on missions, things can go really badly without anyone noticing. But we have a ranking system to try and prevent that from happening to our best ability,”  Akahiko went to a nearby cabinet, revealing a small fridge. He withdrew two soda cans, throwing one to  Naegi .  Naegi caught it swiftly, cracking it open with his finger.

“If you send people in with little experience, and in your case, I’m not talking about combat experience, but experience with how things operate. Konoha’s tactics, what other squads are doing, it could endanger the entire operation,”  Akahiko said, he pointed at  Naegi .

“ Obito is keeping you out since he has people who knows how to deal with situations according to protocol, like your mother, for example,”  Akahiko said. “Aunt Eon is also on the usual squad when it comes to big incidents like this,” he added. 

Naegi rolled the can around in his hand. “That doesn’t mean that I don’t want to help. I can’t just sit and do nothing when I know that I have the power to make a difference,”  Naegi said.  Akahiko chuckled.

“Slow down there, super hero,”  Akahiko said. “You’re ten years old, no one is expecting you to do anything just yet. Get a headband on your person, and people will ask you to help. For now, just enjoy the childhood that you have left,”  Akahiko said.  Naegi looked at him, conflicted.

“ Akahik o ,”  Naegi said. “I don’t think there’s much possib i lity for me to have a childhood again. We’ve been doing  _ nothing  _ for two years, and sure, I had fun with some of the new friends I’ve made, and training has kept me busy, but it’s not something I’m used to. For you and everyone, this incident is a huge deal and such, but for me it’s just another mission. To keep me busy,”  Naegi said. “I was two years at  Orochimaru’s , but it felt like a lifetime. I am used to missions. I’m used to doing things with my strength, not just sparring with Saku once in the afternoon every day,” 

Akahiko didn’t give him a reply at first. He wasn’t sure how to. 

“ Naegi ,”  Akahiko started. “I’m probably not supposed to say it, since I overheard it and  wa sn' t actually supposed to know, but,” he paused. “If you do end up being a lot of trouble, uncle  Obito won’t have an easy time convincing the council that you can become a ninja,” he stopped again, looking at  Naegi again who wasn’t giving away any facial response. “If you guys aren’t there, Fujin won’t have a loyalty reason, taking away the only safeguard that he has for becoming anything other than a weapon,” Akahiko stated.  Naegi perked up at this.

“What?” He asked, though his voice was barely a whisper.  Akahiko shrugged.

“I did some research on  jinchuuriki during my academy days, and they weren’t treated well back in the day. They were weapons to be released when needed. Fujin’s two safeguards for being allowed to be a ninja in Konoha is that he will be unquestionably loyal to you and Saku, and since the two of you have family here, they believe they can keep you here. The other is that he’s a  jinchuuriki , and a powerful ninja. He would do well there, and since he would go into the exams with you anyway, when none of you know whether or not you’ll pass, if he passes and you don’t, he is still under Konoha’s jurisdiction,”  Akahiko said.  Naegi pressed his lips together.

“So,” he said quietly. “Stay out of it, because I need to make sure that the three of us are together,” 

Akahiko nodded. He went silent for a minute, throwing away his can of soda while looking around with no meaning.

“If,” he started. “You do happen to come upon a situation where you know that if you don’t act now, then all will be lost,” he turned to face Naegi. “You will find yourself in a position where you have to choose  between  yourself and others. It’s not an easy choice, it never will be, but remember,” he paused again. “Uzu has always been the home of the homeless, and no matter who they are or what they've done, they are welcome,” he smiled at  Naegi . 

“I should go, I have a meeting to get to,” he said before leaving the house.  Naegi stared at the door.

“Did he just encourage me to desert the village if something happened?” He asked out loud, knowing that no one could hear him.

\--

Saku stared at  Ryuusuke , who was sitting in his chair behind a half-circle desk. His office in the  Uzukage tower was almost breath-taking. The entire office was surrounded by windows, looking over the village. There was a bookshelf filled with scrolls behind  Ryuusuke , also giving him shade from the sun that glowed strongly behind him. 

Ryuusuke was currently in a call, talking softly and carefully. As if he was afraid to be overheard, even though he knew that Saku was standing there. 

“Thanks,  Obito , I owe you one,”  Ryuusuke said.

“More than one,” Saku heard from the other side of the line, although barely.  Ryuusuke straightened his back as he placed his phone down on the desk. He folded his hands, looking up at Saku with a comforting smile. 

“Saku,”  Ryuusuke greeted. “I’m sorry for making you wait. Are you feeling better?” He asked. Saku nodded softly. 

“Sakura is quite the healer,” she said quietly.  Ryuusuke grinned. 

“She’s the best,” he said. Saku smiled politely, knowing that when it came to medical  jutsu , Sakura was in the lead, but as a healer, she didn’t hold a candle to  Naegi . His bloodline made him a perfect healer, after all. 

“Now,”  Ryuusuke tapped his finger on the desk, his smile still in place. “Why don’t you tell me what happened, from the start,” he looked up at Saku, a slightly mischievous smile on his face. He lifted his hand, pointing towards a chair before pulled his finger back. The chair was moved by an invisible force, stopping in front of the desk. Saku’s eyes widened momentarily. 

“How did you do that?” She asked.  Ryuusuke’s smile evolved into a wide grin. 

“Chakra strings,” he said. “I’ve recently begun working on them. They’re a speciality in the Hidden Sand, usually in puppet techniques. I’ve been looking into ways of using it efficiently like ninja wire,” Ryuusuke said. “An old friend of mine,  Ten Ten , uses them for her techniques, but she finds them very taxing to use a lot. But I won’t have that problem, so I want to learn it,” he shook his head. “But I need your report first, I can speak for hours about my projects,” he said softly. Saku nodded slowly.

“I didn’t know what was going on at first. My friends and I were hanging out by the edge of town, since one of them,  Hyuuga Hitomi , wanted to show us some of the new things she had learnt her puppy, Aimaru,” Saku started. “The training ground is quite close to the train tracks, and since she had her  byakugan activated and everything, she saw  Naegi on the train. He is quite easy to notice, because of his large and peculiar chakra reserves,” Saku explained. Saku rubbed her hands together. “I asked them to go to the  Hokage and tell them what they saw, directly, while I headed after  Naegi ,” she chuckled.

“You’d be amazed how hard it is to run after a train,” she said.  Ryuusuke chuckled.

“I can imagine, but go on,” he said. 

“I found  Naegi in the first cart, and while I wished I could’ve talked him down, he was behaving weird. Just like the other incidents that’s been happening lately, with people being all angry and stuff,” she said.  Ryuusuke nodded.

“We ended up fighting, and it escalated quite quickly. We went through the portal, and then through the barrier, which by the way, completely wrecked the train and nearly sent us right into the water,” Saku stated. 

“Then it’s doing its job,”  Ryuusuke commented with a soft laugh.

“Anyway,  Naegi went ahead and did his Rainfall technique, but I managed to knock him out before he could actually execute it,” Saku said.  Ryuusuke raised an eyebrow.

“Rainfall?” He asked. Saku nodded.

“Rainfall is what we dubbed it during missions, it means that he creates thousands of weapons in the sky and makes them fall straight down. It’s effective when fighting a lot of opponents on all sides,” Saku explained shortly.  Ryuusuke hummed.

“That’s what Fujin saw in the distance that made him run over to you,” he mumbled. 

“The thing about knocking out  Naegi is that he heals very quickly, so that you have to do it in one punch and really hard. To do that on such a short notice, I did an imperfect copy of Sakura and  Tsunade’s technique, then I punched  Naegi in the face, broke my wrist and passed out from the pain,” Saku completed her report with a small grin. 

“Then Fujin found you having a panic attack,”  Ryuusuke corrected with a slightly concerned gaze. He sighed, standing up from his chair and walked over to the window. The city of  Uzu was very different from Konoha. Konoha still had a lot of the old architecture, while  Uzu had more of a modern look, but with more traditional tweaks to it. The many lakes that surrounded the  Uzukage tower was glittering in the sunlight.

“Right,” Saku agreed. “I have issues with not being able to see,” she said.  Ryuusuke smiled at her. 

“I know,” he said softly. “One of the first things Fujin did when he got here was to make sure that there was a guest room prepared for all of you whenever you and  Naegi decided to come over. I ended up giving him the attic to do with as he saw fit. He immediately began shopping for lights of many different kinds, saying that they would definitely calm you at night,”  Ryuusuke told her. 

“Speaking of Fujin,” Saku started carefully. “I thought he would come here to talk with us?” She asked.  Ryuusuke looked at the ground for a minute.

“Fujin... he has been training a lot. He said that he has strong focus and didn’t want to get too caught up with this case since it would distract him. The less he knew the better, he said.”  Ryuusuke explained. Saku masked her surprise. That didn’t sound like Fujin at all. He was always right in the middle of things went something came up. He loved solving things. Especially when  Naegi and Saku’s wellbeing was concerned. Was he  really so afraid of his lack of control?

“I see,” Saku said. She shuffled in her seat, beginning to get restless. “Was there anything else?” She asked.  Ryuusuke shook his head. A little bell chimed on his wall, immediately gaining  Ryuusuke’s attention.

“I believe  Naegi is awake,” he said. “Let me take you to the house,” he added before he walked over to Saku. Saku gave a short nod before  Ryuusuke softly grabbed her shoulder. For a moment, Saku thought that he was just going to comfort her, but then her world twisted and spun, and it felt like her breakfast was going to leave her body the wrong way. She didn’t even have time to guess on what was happened before she felt herself stumbling as she reappeared somewhere completely different.  Ryuusuke’s hand stopped her from falling, and he let out a low chuckle.

“Sorry,” he said. “I should’ve prepared you for that,” Saku waved her hand in reply, rather focusing on getting her bearings again. 

“Saku!”  Naegi’s voice called out. Saku looked up immediately, a grin splitting her face as she saw  Naegi’s relieved smile. She laughed loudly, throwing herself at  Naegi and embracing him tightly, also sending them both to the floor.

“You’re okay!” Saku shouted.  Naegi laughed

“Yeah,” he said. “I’m fine, thanks to you,” Saku grinned at him.

They got up from the floor, but Saku hugged him again quickly.  Naegi held her close too, reaffirming that he was himself, and not possessed by some weird thing. 

“I thought I told the two of you to stay out of trouble,” Fujin’s teasing voice came from the hallway.  Naegi and Saku both crashed into him before anyone could blink, once again landing on the floor. Fujin coughed, the air in his lungs being knocked out of him as the two landed on top of him.

“Alright, alright! Let me get up!” He said as he laughed. Saku was latched onto his arm as he stood up,  Naegi staying close, but not too close either. He knew Fujin liked his space. 

“We weren’t looking for trouble,”  Naegi stated. Fujin raised an eyebrow.

“It’s been less than a week. How did you get caught in trouble in four days?” He asked with a low chuckle hiding in his question. 

“It was actually in around ten minutes,” Saku supplied happily.  Naegi gently punched her shoulder. Fujin let out an exasperated laugh, running his hand through his hair. 

“Only the two of you,” he muttered.  Naegi and Saku laughed, trying to make the situation seem like less of a deal than it  actually was .

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Fujin said. “I would’ve offered to go back with you, but I’m not sure I’d actually be much help right now.  Akahiko is also leaving on a mission soon, and I want to get as much training with him as I can before he goes. It’s a long one,” Fujin explained.  Naegi narrowed his eyes slightly, but he didn’t comment. Saku looked at Fujin, also concerned. He was rubbing his wrist, looking at the two with a slight tint of guilt. Had he hurt it? What was he doing as training?

“Not to be a party pooper, but your parents are worried. While I would like  tell you that you can stay for as long as you like, I made a promise to them that I’d get you home soon. It took quite the convincing to not come here in the middle of the night, forgetting all about your other siblings,”  Ryuusuke chuckled. Saku and  Naegi shared a glance before they both hugged Fujin again.

“We’ll be back soon,” Saku stated,  Naegi nodding frequently to back her up. 

“Right after our parents will let us out of their sights again,”  Naegi added. Fujin smiled. 

“Considering everything that’s going on, I’d say that the two of you should be with your classmates. If anyone can protect them, it’s you,” Fujin said. Saku looked at  Naegi , who was once again staring at Fujin with wondering eyes. Saku  wasn’t able to guess why, but if  Naegi was concerned, she probably should be too. She could ask him about it when they got home again. 

“I’ll give you another five minutes, but I really have to get back to work soon as well,”  Ryuusuke said, apologizing afterwards. Saku and  Naegi nodded. Fujin let a small grin adorn his face.

“Come with me,” he said, grabbing their hands before pulling them along. He led them up the stairs of the house, coming up to the top floor before he pulled down a trapdoor with a rope at the end of a hallway. A wooden staircase  fell down with a light thud. Fujin led them up. 

The attic wasn’t very big, but it wasn’t small either. Three beds had been pushed together at the opposite side of the room from the trapdoor that led them up here. However, there seemed to be a large  mat t ress rather than three small ones. Saku was grateful, falling between the cracks wouldn’t be fun. Around the entire room was several small bulbs of light, covering the ceilings like stars, but also framing the windows and dotting the walls. The entire room was dimly lit, making it difficult to see. 

Fujin had been creative, it seemed, because he dimmed the lights even more. Saku felt her heart begin to race as the room darkened, but Fujin grabbed her hand reassuringly. He lifted his hand into a one-handed tiger seal. The ceiling began to glow in a soft white, the night sky taking shape above them.

“An illusion seal,” Fujin explained. “It will give us some light, but the night sky is also very calming and not to terrible to fall asleep under. Night lights often tend to disturb your sleep, even when you are afraid of the dark, but this won’t bother any of us,” Fujin said with a grin. Saku and  Naegi looked at him, soft smiles on both of their faces.

“It’s not a great hangout place, but it’s good for sleeping,” He pointed to the corner, where a TV was placed on a small table with wheels on it. “We can also watch TV here,” he added. 

“It’s perfect,” Saku said. “Can’t wait to spend the night here,” she looked at  Naegi , who nodded in agreement. 

“Well, you should probably get home. If you hurry, you can make it back to the academy before it ends and get some studying done,” Fujin said. Saku groaned loudly in complaint.

“I’m so tired of hearing about the history of the ninja world!” She exclaimed.  Naegi and Fujin laughed loudly. Saku looked at them, both holding their stomachs as the situation just got  more funny to them because the other was laughing as well, making the first laugh even harder. Saku couldn’t help but to join them in their laughter. It was good to be together again.


	8. Capture the Flag

Saku would admit that she wasn’t a hundred percent sure what to expect when she returned to Konoha with  Naegi . Her time with her parents had been scarce, and she hadn’t had the opportunity to know what triggered certain reactions from her parents, or if their reactions was mostly angry, sad or something else. It wasn’t easy to say. Saku herself was a very emotional person, and she wouldn’t deem herself as someone more inclined to be angry rather than overly worried. 

Her father was a kind man, as far as she knew. He had switched careers from his previous job in the intelligence division to the scientific ninja division. Sure, he had never been a ninja himself, but he was still an incredibly smart man. Since he often spent time with Eon, and so Yuki and Kousuke, he frequently got to look on a ninja’s abilities up close, and Eon was especially receptive to his questions regarding the application of their skills and the situations they came up with.    
His entry to the scientific ninja division had been sparked when Saku’s older brother, Shizuaki, had gone on a mission with Akahiko and Riko which had gone very badly. They weren’t alone on the mission, there was another squad with them. Two members of the other squad never came back, and another lost his leg. Since Shizuaki was so distraught about it going so badly, he had spent a lot of time in the hospital with the remaining member of his other squad. Their father had gone there once to get him home and had then seen how people from the scientific ninja division had been there, testing out prototypes for prosthetics that would let the remaining member walk again. 

Her father had been intrigued and looked more into it and had apparently become so inspired that he found himself working there not long after.

But, his scientific interests gave Saku no clue about how he would react to her tak ing a spontaneous trip to  Uzu and breaking her wrist and such. 

Her mother was an even bigger enigma. She was so intelligent, always calculating. But when they were home, she had a softness to her that Saku was never really expecting. Still, Saku had never seen her mother while she was working, and nor did she know what happened when her mother got stressed or worried.

So, when Saku and  Naegi arrived at the  seal grounds  in Konoha, she found herself being somewhat nervous.  She saw her parents and  Naegi’s standing at the end, chatting calmly among themselves. Saku was grateful that Yuki was there, because if there was anyone who would make sure that there wouldn’t be a screaming situation, it was the kind and calm Yuki.

Naegi nudged her, gaining her attention. 

“We need to go to them,” he said. Saku chuckled. No, her plan had obviously been to stay on the grounds forever. 

“After you,” Saku said with a mocking bow.  Naegi shook his head, a small laugh escaping him as he walked towards their parents. 

When their parents saw them, it didn’t take long for them to run over to their side. Saku’s father grabbed her and enveloped her in a crushing hug before he took a step back, his eyes going over her body like crazy to check for injuries among his frantic questions. 

“Dad, I’m fine,” Saku said, smiling weakly. Her father gently took her arm. 

“Your wrist,” he said softly. There were bandages wrapped around there, just to support her wrist. They often tended to be weaker after just being healed, so Sakura had wanted it to stay on. 

“Sakura healed it,” Saku said. “I’m fine,” she repeated.  Yachi nodded slowly. A relieved sigh escaped him. He pressed his forehead against Saku’s. 

“You can  _ never  _ disappear like that again,” he murmured. Saku’s heart clenched. She hadn’t considered that. She felt a hand touch her shoulder carefully. She looked to the side, seeing her mother squat down next to her. 

“ Obito -sensei told me what happened,” she said softly, a worried frown on her face. “I’m not completely okay with how you did this,” she added firmly. “But, I understand,” she rested her forehead against the side of  Yachi and Saku’s faces, the three of them quietly embracing. Saku felt hot tears press against the back of her eyes. She felt so safe with them. She melted into her parents embrace, happy to just let herself get lost in their love. 

Eventually, and hesitantly, her parents let her go. Saku looked over to  Naegi , and saw that his mother was running her hand through  Naegi’s hair, holding him close while his father calmly explained that they understood the situation, and that he wasn’t in trouble. Saku smiled. She knew that  Naegi hadn’t really done anything wrong, while she had technically had better options than what she went with. 

“We’re going to have dinner with  Naegi and his family tonight,” Eon said softly. Saku grinned at her. She loved having family dinners. 

They headed home, and it was quickly heard that there were people home.  Ao , Riko and Shizuaki were all chatting away in the living room. 

“We’re home!” Kousuke called out. 

“Welcome back!” The teenagers chorused. Saku heard  Yachi laugh in the background. Yuki and Kousuke headed into the kitchen, having prepared the food before they left for the station. All they needed was to set the table.

Dinners often tended to be somewhat loud when they were gathered, but it was mostly  Ao and Saku’s fault. They had a habit of getting into very loud conversations. Riko chatted with Shizuaki while  Naegi often listened to their conversation rather than Saku and  Ao’s , and their parents talked together as well about more mature topics. Obviously, the conversations were a bit all over the place, but it was more common for them to have this sort of situation. 

Once they had eaten, they made their way to the living room again, settling in on the couches. Saku looked over at  Naegi , who still held that guilty look. She frowned. When was he going to get that being possessed by some creepy thing wasn’t his fault?

“Guys,”  Yachi said. “We have some news,” he said, a smile on his face. The attention turned to Eon and  Yachi .  Yachi was beaming, while Eon looked slightly more bashful.  Yachi looked at Eon, nudging her slightly. Eon sighed. She looked over at Yuki, who always was her comfort when  it came to revelations. 

“We’re having a baby,” she said. 

Then all hell broke loose. Saku, and  Ao , strangely enough, were basically squealing in excitement. Yuki, who generally were quiet, was also excitedly talking with Eon, almost jumping where she stood. Kousuke was congratulating  Yachi and Eon, trying to hold Yuki in place so that she didn’t suddenly fly away. 

\--

A few days passed, and  Naegi was beginning to get frustrated. 

There were attacks almost every day. The victims who went unstopped were drained of chakra and stuck in the hospital until further notice. Sakura had been called all the way from  Uzu just to try and help  Tsunade with the check-ups as well.

The academy had even been collateral at some points. Nothing major, but there were students who had been affected by whatever this was and ended up fighting in the school grounds. 

Naegi and Saku were on their way to the academy, today being yet another day with some form of event. Shino had not wanted to reveal anything before, wanting it to be a surprise of a kind. Keep the students on edge or something.

Their class were gathered outside on the grounds, two huge flags being behind Shino.  Naegi couldn’t help but to feel a slight irritation. How come that he and Saku, who were in all sense more ninja than most  chuunin in the village, were stuck playing games at the academy while people were getting hurt? What had they gone through, just to have all their abilities wasted on academy students? He wanted to do something. He wanted to help.

Unfortunately, their parents had been like hawks lately. They made sure to call them whenever they could, checking up on them as often as possible. It was their way of saying that they were grounded, without  actually grounding them. 

“Listen up,” Shino called. “We’ll be splitting you into two teams, playing a nice game of capture the flag,” Shino said. “This is a good way to practice larger combat situations where you’re not only required to advance, but also defend,” he continued to explain. He looked at Saku and  Naegi . 

“Saku and  Naegi will be the current commanders of the two teams. They will make the calls in the beginning about the strategy. Now, before any of you make any objections, we will have this form of training for the rest of the year. Everyone will be a commander multiple times, letting you learn and get used to a situation where you are in charge,” Shino walked over to Saku and  Naegi , handing them each a white headband with a red circle on  Naegi’s , and a blue one on Saku’s. He handed out red and blue headbands out to the rest of the class at random. 

“Now, we’ll head out to training ground twenty-two, which has been prepared for this simulation. You will find two huts on each end of the training ground, and the flag will be inside it. You can defend the area however you want. There will be teachers around the grounds to make sure that any possible injuries will be tended to right away,” he added. He then held up two fingers.

“There are two ways to win this game,” he said, pausing shortly. “To take the flag from the other team and bring it back to your home base, or take the commander’s headband,” he smiled at Saku and  Naegi . The entire class looked over at them, and it was in this moment that  Naegi realized, he was glad he wasn’t an ordinary student. 

“Excuse me, Shino!” Called a student from the back, taking the attention away from Saku and  Naegi . “If we grab the flag, but then drop it somewhere, what happens?” The student asked.  Zorren , if  Naegi recalled correctly. 

“The opposite team can bring it back to the hut, or defend the flag at its current position,” Shino replied. 

“Are we allowed to capture other students? What happens if we take their headbands if they are not the commander?” Another student asked. 

“The other headbands are meaningless, but the only way to stop a student is by capturing them somewhere. That brings me to the next point,” Shino said. “There is a structure in all corners of the training ground that are ‘prisons’, a simple wooden cage where you can keep the oppose team’s members,” Shino replied. “The game ends when school is over, if no one has lost b efore that time. If not, the sooner you get the opponents’ flag, the sooner you can go home,” 

The students cheered at this statement. Then, Shino lead them to training ground twenty-two.  Naegi assumed that they were in the middle of the grounds, since Shino split them into their teams.

They were in a large clearing, and two rather prominent paths led straight down each  sides , probably leading to the huts. 

“You have twenty minutes to prepare your home ground. There are currently teachers watching the border between you, making sure that you cannot pass until those minutes are up. You  are allowed to not make a move when the time is up, but your opponent’s might,” Shino explained shortly. “Hurry along, now,” he said and waved them away before he disappeared in a swirl of leaves. 

Kenzo,  Choza and Tai Lee were the clan heirs on his side. Then there were six other kids as well.  Naegi didn’t know them well, and it made him feel kind of bad now that they were working together. 

They made their way to the hut, all of them gathering inside.  Naegi looked over the group, or rather, he worked hard on remembering the names of the other kids. Kenzo made a small noise. 

“ Naegi ,” he said. “You’re the commander. Rather than wasting time on who decides what, you should just go with it,” Kenzo’s eyes wandered over the others, looking for any obvious protests.

“Right,”  Naegi said. He paused. “I need a rundown of everyone’s strengths and weaknesses,” he said. He wasn’t in general used to making tactics and plans, but it was nice practice, he supposed.  Naegi stared at the six other kids for a bit before their names popped into his head one by one. 

“Akemi, you start,” he called. Akemi was born in a normal civilian family. She hadn’t stood out at all in their class.

“I... I’m rather good with traps,” she said. “But not much else,” she whispered.  Naegi frowned. They hadn’t practiced a lot with traps, mostly just the pure theory of it and how to make them work. Not really applying it to the field. She was essentially saying that she was no good. 

Fumuyi went next. She was also from a rather normal family, however, unlike Akemi, she was  actually rather good. She was someone who stood out at least a little bit.

“I’m confident in my ninjutsu abilities and I can hold my own in a  taijutsu fight. I’m not good with  genjutsu , but I know how to avoid them and cover that side,”  Fumuyi stated.  Naegi nodded. 

“I’m good with  genjutsu !” A girl, Eri, piped up. She was from a shinobi family, and was  actually rather well rounded, if  Naegi recalled correctly. He turned to the next.

“ Yuu ?” He asked.  Yuu looked up at him, slightly nervous. 

“I’m rather good with  taijutsu , I know some  genjutsu . I know my limitations at least,” he said. He turned to  Shimpei . They were often together and were close friends. 

“I can’t do ninjutsu for shit, but I’m ok with  taijutsu and rather good with  genjutsu ,” he said. 

“I can do both  genjutsu and ninjutsu!” The last kid, Taiki, exclaimed.  Naegi hummed to himself. He and the clan heirs, and Tai Lee, were all  taijutsu based. Though  Naegi himself was good with ninjutsu too. He was certain that everyone, except for Tai Lee, could use ninjutsu. 

“We obviously are rather heavy weighted towards  taijutsu ,”  Naegi mumbled. “We also can’t go with a head on assault, not with Saku at the other end,”  Naegi explained.

“But that goes for them too, right?” Tai Lee asked.  Naegi shook his head.

“Not necessarily,” he said. “Saku isn’t smart enough to calculate the risks of the situation, most likely,”  Naegi said. “And she can beat me in a fight as well,” he added. His mind briefly wandered back to the train, a tinge of guilt striking him. 

“So, our best shot is stealth?” Kenzo asked.  Naegi nodded. 

“If we want to steal their flag, then yes,” he said. “But we could also aim for Saku if things go south,” he said. 

“Not to burst your bubble, but the other team has  Shikao ,”  Shimpei said.  Naegi turned to him. 

“ Shikao ? He’s not the best fighter in the class,”  Naegi said.  Shimpei cocked his head to the side, rolling his eyes.

“He’s a  _ Nara _ ,”  Shimpei stated.  Naegi chuckled.

“So is Saku,” he supplied. “I get that you’re saying we should be aware of his wicked high IQ, but that won’t help him alone in the field,”  Naegi said.  Shimpei shook his head.

“Not that he alone is any threat – his  _ plans _ ,”  Shimpei stated. “I don’t have any doubts in the way you look at things, but let’s be real.  Shikao almost does nothing in class other than observe – he's present yet looking at completely different things. He knows almost everything about everyone,”  Shimpei explained.  Naegi’s eyes widened slightly. He’d completely forgotten that it wouldn’t necessarily be Saku making the plans. 

“ Kenzo, Fumuyi , Eri,”  Naegi said. “You three go around and set up traps. Kenzo, you’ll be the lookout for them. Especially Saku – I’m not entirely sure about the range you can see, but Saku has a huge chakra capacity. She should be visible to you, even if others aren’t,”  Naegi explained. He crossed his fingers, creating a few shadow clones. “I’ll have these clones keep watch over the areas, and since Saku definitely can see us, she’ll tell  Shikao that she sees me in certain areas. Hopefully, that will make them find the remaining possible routes, which helps us prepare for where they are coming,” 

“If Saku can see us, doesn’t that leave us at a disadvantage?”  Yuu asked.  Naegi chortled.

“Oh yeah,”  Naegi said, a half-hearted laugh continuing. They didn’t have odds in their favour in any way. He looked at the flag that was placed in the centre of the room. It was simply a large pole with a black banner.  Naegi wouldn’t be surprised if the other side had a white flag. 

“ Yuu , Taiki and Tai Lee, you’re our flag squad. Tai Lee, you’re an excellent fighter – and you might need to fight. Taiki, you’re good with  genjutsu and ninjutsu, which will give you cover for stealth and long range.  Yuu , your job will be to get the flag itself. Since Tai Lee and Taiki are rather flashy fighters, they’ll be a nice distraction for you to slip in,”  Naegi explained. 

“Akemi, Choza, I need you to go head on and fight the others,” he paused. “I’ll just go with Squad One, Two and Three from now on,” he added. “Squad one, after laying the traps, will stay on the border area. My clones will be in the entire area, and hopefully overshadow your chakra to Saku and give you coverage. I’d like to place a lot of  genjutsu traps around the hut as well, not that it will help on  Hitomi or Saku,”  Naegi stated. 

“Squad two, you will as I said, target the flag.  Yuu is the taker, while the rest of you will do whatever it takes to let him slip away. Squad three, I want you to be a distraction team. It won’t help with Saku and  Hitomi , but the other team can’t ignore your presence either, even if they know it is a trap,”  Naegi said. 

“What about our flag?” Kenzo asked.  Naegi looked up at him.

“I will protect it,” he said. “And if Saku come here, I’ll be on the defensive. I’m thinking... a rather huge wall should do the trick,” 

\--

Saku stood in the doorway of the hut, staring out at the forest. She could see  Naegi’s clones spreading out through the forest, essentially making it a dense cloud of chakra. It was a nice distraction, but she could also see a direct path to their hut in between. 

“He’s trying to make us take the easy way. It’s definitely an ambush,”  Shikao said beside her. Saku hummed. 

“ Naegi is careful. He’s always been thinking like this. Be cautious and don’t do anything reckless. He’s afraid of taking chances,” Saku sighed. 

“Are the others on the move?” She asked.  Shikao nodded in reply. A part of Saku was begging her to just go into the  frey and join them, but because of that accursed headband on her head,  Shikao had made her stay put. 

“We’re trying to see if we can make our way through the clone-infested area, but there’s no way of doing it without being discovered,”  Shikao explained. 

“I can see the others at the border area, but if they go to the other side, I’ll be blinded. I’m pretty sure  Naegi’s clones can’t last for long though. They’re emitting more chakra than usual to make sure that they cover the area,” Saku stated. “Maybe four or five hours until it lets up ,”  Shikao shuddered beside her.

“You do realize that we’ve already been in the game for an hour – there are just six hours left of school. Worst case scenario, we only have an hour to operate with clear vision,”  Shikao said. Saku snorted.

“We will only have around five minutes of operation,” she said.  Shikao looked at her questionably. Saku resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

“When shadow clones disappear, their memories get sent back to the creator.  Naegi will know  immediatly when his clones disappear, but since he’s created so many, there will be around a minute or two of him not creating any. Then, it will take another three or four minutes for him to create all clones and cover the area again,” Saku explained.

“How much chakra do you guys have?”  Shikao asked, looking exhausted by just the thought of it.

“I’m not entirely sure. If I was to make a vague guess... I have around what a fresh  jonin would have...  Naegi is closer to a high level  jonin , Fujin? Before he was around my level, now I’m not sure anymore,” Saku said.  Shikao stared at her.  A nervous laugh escaped him. 

“How come you are in the academy again?” He asked jokingly. There was a hint of tiredness laced within his question. Saku laughed in return.

“Socializing,” she replied easily. 

“Anyway,”  Shikao said, trying not to think too much about the implication of the power levels in question. “How do you think you would fare against  Naegi , and possibly the other team as a whole?” he asked. Saku pressed her lips together.

“I won over  Naegi recently... but that fight wasn’t exactly the best example either, and people could get badly hurt if caught in the cross-fire,” Saku explained. “One on one? I might be able to at least fight him and not lose,” she added. 

“So, you would work nice as a distraction?”  Shikao asked carefully. Saku looked over at him, slightly puzzled.  Shikao pointed at his own head. “It’s no secret that you aren’t the smartest person in class,”  Shikao explained. Saku shot him a glare, but there were no ill-feelings behind it. “ Naegi wouldn’t be surprised if you decided to just attack on your own,” he added. Saku nodded in agreement.

“ So if you attack him, we can use  Zorren to get the flag,”  Shikao said. 

“Who?” She asked.  Shikao chuckled, slightly exasperated. 

“Classmate, he has a bloodline that lets him camouflage himself. He’s technically visible, but hard to see regardless,”  Shikao explained. Saku hummed. 

“That could be useful. He could use my destructive power as a cover,” Saku added.  Shikao grinned.

“Exactly,”

\--

Naegi had sort of expected it.

Saku had absolutely no patience – let alone waiting for his shadow clones to disappear for hours before making a move. 

So, when Saku – unmistakeably her, even  Naegi could sense her chakra – came charging towards his own signature, he had immediately put up a barrier. 

A shell formed around the hut, golden chakra see-through, but impenetrable. There were spikes around the orb-like structure, making sure that Saku couldn’t just punch through. It would need her to create large, chakra heavy attacks to break the barrier. That would at least wear her down a bit. He needed to stall. 

“ Naegi ! Come out and fight me!” Saku’s voice shouted from the outside.  Naegi stepped out of the hut, not outside the barrier, but at least he was visible.

“I’d rather not, Saku!” He replied. Saku pouted.

“You coward!” She taunted.  Naegi shrugged. 

“See, it’s much safer behind here than out there!”  Naegi explained. Saku grimaced.

“It’s no fun if you’re behind there! I’m bored!” She shouted.  Naegi laughed.

“You should learn to wait for things!” He retorted. 

“I don’t want to!” Saku exclaimed impatiently. Her hands were almost a blur as she went through hand signs. “Fire Style: Great Dragon Flame  Jutsu !” She shouted.

A gigantic, flaming dragon shot out from Saku, the heat reaching  Naegi even through the barrier. He paled, taking a step back.

The Great dragon flame  jutsu was known as one of the strongest  fire jutsu in the  _ world _ . Like, top five! Was she seriously shooting that out as the first move?

The dragon crashed into the barrier, the flames roaring and covering the entire thing.  Naegi pressed his lips together. 

Yeah. He wasn’t going to stay out there. 

He went inside the hut and closed the door behind him with a soft thud.

\--

“ Naegi ! You bastard!” Saku roared as she saw him  retreat back into the hut. He didn’t reply to her, which made her even more mad. 

She punched her fists together in frustration. The  byakusharingan flaring to life. The barrier had weakened considerably, but so had her chakra supplies. She had hoped that the barrier would have collapsed under the  jutsu , but  Naegi probably focused his chakra to where the dragon hit, making the barrier weaker on the back. 

Which was exactly like they planned.

It was frustrating to know that her power wasn’t enough to break the barrier, but  Shikao had been correct. Hopefully,  Zorren had managed to get into the barrier. 

“ Naegi !” Saku complained loudly.  Naegi opened the door, staring at her with clear amusement. Saku glared at him.

“I  _ will  _ break down this barrier, it’s easier on you if you just put it down,” Saku stated.  Naegi smiled.

“I think so too,” he said. “But I know you will try anyway, and I’d rather stay out of the fight as long as I can,” he added lazily. Saku groaned, letting herself fall backwards and land on the ground. She created three shadow clones who surrounded the barrier. 

A rain of fireballs began to pound upon the barrier.  Naegi stood in the doorway, watching Saku lie on the ground as she played with the grass around her. Saku knew that the barrier would crack soon enough, but it was still boring to wait. 

It took another minute or two before the barrier let out a satisfying crack, before the sound of glass breaking shot through the clearing. Saku jumped to her feet, immediately blocking  Naegi’s fist with her arm. 

She knew she had the upper hand in close combat, so why would  Naegi engage her? 

Ah well, who cares?

She grinned, pushing forward with several jabs and kicks.  Naegi blocked the worst hits by letting others hit him, it was something she knew that he would do, but nonetheless irritating. 

“Saku!”  Shikao’s voice called out. She barely glanced at him in the corner of her eye. “We got the flag! Make sure he doesn’t follow us!” He shouted. Saku yelled in reply, focusing more on attacking  Naegi . She saw  Naegi turn uncertain, but he shook his head and focused again. 

Saku knew that they wouldn’t be very fast, and that she needed to hold  Naegi in one place. Not to mention all the clones he had, she couldn’t tell if he had dispelled them or not. 

“Saku!”  Naegi said, pointing behind her. “Look, it’s Fujin!” he exclaimed happily. Saku whipped her head around. She was met with an empty clearing – and then the realization set in. She turned around, her  byakusharingan taking in every moment in slow motion.  Naegi’s hand was reached towards her, grabbing the headband from her forehead. It was slowly being ripped from her head. She felt her heat skip a beat. 

She felt a surge of chakra run through her, green chakra surrounding her  swifltly . For a moment, it felt like she was wearing armour.  Naegi halted in surprise, and she used that momentum to punch him backwards. He crashed into his hut, dust flying into the air as the building got wrecked at impact. She heard him cough, and she immediately hurried over to his side.  Naegi was bleeding slightly, but it immediately started healing. However, he was stuck in the rubble. Saku shot towards him, her hand reaching for his headband when she saw him grin.

“I was stalling,” he coughed out. 

Saku’s eyes widened. She turned around, sharpening her vision as she saw  Naegi’s teammates chakra signatures hurry back over the border into their own territory. She focused, seeing their grinning faces as they carried the flag. 

“The match is over!” Shino’s voice rang out. “Team  Naegi wins!” 

\--

Naegi saw Saku shout in frustration, pulling at her hair.

“I wanted to win!” She whined.  Naegi laughed, his heart warming at the sight. He had to admit, it was a great feeling to just do childish games – and he  definitely didn’t mind winning them. Seeing Saku acting like her age was also a big bonus. 

“You cheated!” Saku shouted, pouncing at him as she lightly punched his chest several times, doing her best to stop him from laughing – and failing. 

“I did not!”  Naegi shot back. 

“You told me Fujin was there!” Saku shouted back.

“We’re ninja, deception is what we do. It’s not my fault that you fell for it,”  Naegi retorted. Saku let out another frustrated shout.

“Come on you two,” a voice sounded. Saku and  Naegi turned around, seeing a man with long, messy black hair. It was barely kept out of his face with his Konoha headband. He had piercing yellow eyes, staring at them with clear disinterest. There were two jagged marks on his cheeks, one on each side. He stood there casually, his hands in his pockets.

“Who are you?”  Naegi asked carefully.

“A teacher,” the man replied easily. “Get back to the clearing, Shino wants to debrief you,” he said before disappearing without a trace. 

Naegi looked at Saku, who shrugged. She helped him out of the rubble of the hut before the two ran back to the centre clearing. The rest of the class had gathered there,  Naegi’s teammates celebrating by waving Saku’s team flag around.  Shikao met Saku’s gaze.

“Saku, I’m sorry. There were still a few of  Naegi’s clones who pinned us down. We managed to throw them off, but we met the other team just as they had passed the border,” he explained, his eyes downcast. 

“We’ll get them next time!” Saku replied with a grin.  Naegi smiled next to her. She was always so optimistic. Even when she didn’t feel especially happy herself. It was a good trait.  Shikao’s gaze turned into a fiery determination.  Naegi swallowed. He was pretty sure his mother had mentioned something about motivated Nara being dangerous... but he wasn’t exactly sure where her information came from either. He shrugged. That would be a discovery for another time. 

“Alright,” Shino’s voice called out. “Throughout the past two years, we have taught you the basics, and we have assessed your skills in different areas. We have now created an optimal teaching routine for all of you individually. There are also some electives that you can choose,” Shino explained. “You’ll get the forms tomorrow, with your decided schedules as well as the electives you can choose. We’ll have some talks about that throughout the week as well,” Shino added. 

The students began to talk among themselves a bit, before Shino cleared his throat.

“We’re done for the day,” he said loudly. “Head home and think about your tactics that you used today. It will come in handy to recognize your own weaknesses when it comes to thinking about what training that you want to have throughout the next two years,” Shino stated. 

The class dispersed, heading home.  Naegi and Saku  actually lived rather close to this  area, and were quickly back in their home. 

“You definitely cheated,” Saku mumbled. 


	9. Naegi stabs Saku (several times)

The attacks had turned more frequent. But  also sloppier.

Naegi wasn’t a huge fan of the situation, not by a long shot. People were in the hospital because of this. Because of that masked person! He punched the wall next to him, small cracks forming around his fist. 

His parents had been clear about it. The  Hokage had been clear about it. Even Shino had told him.

Stay out of it. It’s not your responsibility. 

A part of him resented them for it. He did have the abilities to do something. He had worked as a ninja before, but because of his age, because of his circumstances, all the adults had decided that he couldn’t do anything. He hated it. 

Saku wasn’t happy about it either. She had also tried calling Fujin, to get him to come over and help. But he had told her that he couldn’t. He had told her that he had complete faith in the adults to deal with the situation, and that he’d rather have them stay out of the situation. 

It didn’t sound like him. But  Naegi didn’t want to argue with him either. 

He had chased around this masked person. The person who was obviously behind it. Saku had confirmed it as well, she had watched with her  byakusharingan and seen the chakra thread between the victim and the culprit. 

They hadn’t been able to catch the person. They had barely been able to see the guy at multiple occasions. 

“ Naegi ?” Saku’s voice sounded from the doorway.  Naegi turned around, meeting her worries gaze.

“What?” He asked, his voice laced with exhaustion. 

“You need to rest,” Saku said. “How long have you been at this?” She asked. 

In front of  Naegi was a map over Konoha, all incidents mapped out, details on what time they were and where they had been.

“I can’t figure out the connection,”  Naegi muttered. He paused. “All night,” he replied. 

“ Naegi ,” Saku started.  Naegi’s stone hard gaze interrupted her.

“Saku, we have the possibility of helping. I don’t care if we are academy students! We have a responsibility to those who get hurt! To those we did not help!”  Naegi said loudly. Saku frowned. 

“I get it,” she said. “I get that it’s hard not to help everyone!” She shouted. Her eyes were glassy, and her shoulders were shaking. “But you are not helping anyone -” she paused, taking a shaky breath. “By wearing yourself out and risking worse injuries,” She added quietly. 

“I know,”  Naegi said. 

“Then get some sleep and let this be for  once !” Saku exclaimed.  Naegi stared at her, his eyes wide in surprise. He nodded, his face  falling as the worry Saku was emitting sunk into his bones .  He hadn’t thought about Saku and her feelings towards this. He had been absorbed into the masked guy and forgotten about everything and everyone.  Saku held his gaze for a bit. “Tomorrow,” she said quietly. “We will take that masked person down,”

\--

Naegi had slept. And he had slept a lot. By the time he woke up, it was already noon. Saku had prepared breakfast – which  in itself was kind of a miracle, because Saku had a tendency to forget she was making food if she got distracted by one thing for even a second, which was more often than not. 

“ Mornin ’,” Saku called as she saw  Naegi enter the living room.  Naegi smiled at her in reply, walking over to the kitchen quietly.

“I’m sorry about yesterday,” he said quietly. Saku waved him off, then she handed him a plate before she went over to the kitchen table.

“My shadow clones are out scouting in the village, under disguise, obviously,” Saku said. “I also told Shino that I wasn’t feeling well, and you are staying with me for reasons,” she added. “Though I did leave a shadow clone around the academy to keep watch there,” 

“You have really thought this through,”  Naegi commented, slightly impressed. Saku was never really one for plans. Perhaps she was beginning to mature a bit. 

“Fujin has been gone for a month, this incident has been going on for a month. It’s time someone puts a stop to it, and I’m certain that if anyone can do it now, it is us,” Saku replied. “Even if we are breaking some rules,” she said.  Naegi nodded in agreement.

“We should look over the clues we have already. See if we can see some connection,”  Naegi said. Saku hummed, her eyes gluing themselves to the window.

“Couldn’t we ask Fujin again? He might be able to see it right away,” she asked.  Naegi shook his head. 

“ He made it clear; he didn’t want us to be a part of this either. He’s not going to help,”  Naegi said. Saku frowned.

“It doesn’t make sense,” she said. “Why wouldn’t he help? I mean, Fujin of all people should recognise the threat that this is and that we should have all  hands on deck,” she took another bite of her meal, chewing thoughtfully. 

“I don’t know,”  Naegi sighed. “But it doesn’t change the fact that we have to do something. We can figure out the mystery of why Fujin didn’t want to be a part of this later,” he added.

“You’re right,” Saku mumbled. “It just doesn’t feel right. I mean,  he _ knows  _ that we would never just let this slide past us. He knows that we want to do the right thing – why would he try and ask us to stay out of it?” Saku asked.  Naegi pressed his lips together. 

“Fujin always has his reasons, and if he doesn’t want us to know, we will probably never find out. He knows how to cover his tracks too well, but we can ask him later and see if he might just tell us,”  Naegi replied. Saku huffed. She wanted answers now. 

“Let’s head up and look over the clues that we have,”  Naegi said, placing a hand on Saku’s shoulder. She smiled at him, albeit uncertainly. They headed to  Naegi’s study where he had set everything up.

The map was still scattered on his desk, every incident marked and timed. At least approximately. They stood beside each other, looking over it with a sharper focus than what had been possible earlier. 

“There doesn’t seem to be a way of checking for probably base of operation – the person is most likely not stationary,”  Naegi said. “This person can go wherever they want in the village without any suspicion. It’s likely that it’s someone from the village, especially considering how long this has been going on,”  Naegi said. 

“Almost one victim every day. Not an active shinobi at least. They have too much irregularities in their schedules,” Saku said. “This person seems to exclusively operate in the afternoon and evenings, sometimes in the earliest parts of the morning,” she added.  Naegi frowned at this.

“How many teachers are there at the academy?”  Naegi asked. Saku shrugged, but she stared at him questionably.  Naegi pointed at the times listed by every victim. “This never takes place during academy hours. There is  _ no one  _ who follows the academy’s schedule, other than the academy students and teachers,” he explained.

“You think it’s a teacher?” Saku asked.  Naegi nodded. 

“The amount of planning it must take to do this – it rules out any academy student. No one, other than us, is capable of the amount of chakra it must take to control whatever that mind control thing is,”  Naegi said. Saku grimaced. She didn’t want to think about any of her teachers being someone evil. It didn’t seem right. Imagine if it was Shino – she didn’t even want to think about that. 

“Don’t you think that the  Obito would have made sure it wasn’t one of the teachers?” Saku asked.  Naegi shrugged.

“It’s impossible to say where the  Obito has search ed and where he has not,” Naegi replied. “But we can tail the teachers and see if anything goes on there,”  Naegi said. Saku nodded slowly. 

“I’ll send a few shadow clones to keep watch over them then,” she said. “I just need to sneak in and find an employee list,” she added.  Naegi nodded.

“Don’t be seen,” he said. Saku grinned at him.

“They won’t have a clue,”  She replied and disappeared without a trace . 

Naegi had no doubt in mind about t hat Saku wouldn’t leave any traces . Saku might not be so smart, and often her emotions got in the way of her tactical plans – but she was skilled. She had her eyes, she knew how to hide in plain sight , i f she didn’t want to be seen, she wouldn’t be seen and that was just scratching the surface of her abilities.

Naegi , for maybe the hundredth time the past weeks, felt useless. His skills weren’t suited for the situation. He wasn’t prepared for these situations. It bothered him.

Sure, he could be stealthy, but it wasn’t his forte. He wasn’t in a situation where he believed he could hide away from  jonin if necessary. Maybe  chuunin . 

Back in the day,  chuunin were the only people who were instructors at the academy. However, after the war and with Fujin’s dad’s academy, they decided to follow suit and find the most competent teachers, rather than focusing on rank.

So,  Naegi sneaking around at the academy wasn’t the smartest idea.

He kept staring at the map in front of him. He felt like it was something he was missing. 

Would any of the teachers really betray the village? It didn’t seem possible.  Naegi was certain that the  hokage thoroughly decided who would be teachers and who would be not. Still, it was possible for people to change, and traitors would always exist. 

\--

Saku licker her lips as she slid in the window from the headmaster’s office. It really wasn’t hard to get the headmaster out, and neither was sneaking into his office. 

She had always liked Iruka. He was a kind man, and he was also married to  _ Kakashi _ , one of the strongest ninjas in the world – the best friend of the  hokage _ and  _ teacher of Saku,  Naegi and Fujin’s parents. 

Anyway, she quickly found the files for the different teachers, creating one shadow clone for each employee and sending them to tail the teachers. She made sure to leave everything as she had found it before she used the body flicker out of the office. 

She was concerned about  Naegi’s obsession with this, but she also understood how important it was for something to be done. She would admit that she didn’t have the best confidence in the adults at this moment. They worked so slow. 

She decided to head back home, not seeing any reason to hang out at the academy or risk getting seen in town. She found  Naegi in the same position as she had left him, hunched over his desk, carefully looking over the data that he had gathered. 

“I thought you would know that I didn’t mean for you to sit behind the desk all the time today as well,” Saku said, crossing her arms.  Naegi chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. He stood up, putting his arms in the air.

“I’ll stop,” he said. “Found anything interesting at the academy?” He asked. Saku shook her head.

“I got clones to tail the staff, so if anything happens today, we’ll know if it was one of them,” she replied.  Naegi nodded.

“Good,” he said. He and Saku walked down to the living room, settling by the TV and turned on the news. It was good to keep up with what was happening, not only in Konoha, but in other nations as well. There was a lot of coverage on the incidents that had been happening in Konoha, but they were very vague. A lot of people were scared, not entirely sure what was going on. It was understandable, but Saku also knew that if the culprit was doing this for the attention, they wouldn’t have been so stealthy with their approach. 

Once the academy hours were over,  Naegi and Saku were on the edge of their seats all the time. An incident could happen at any point from now on, and they needed to be ready. Saku stiffened as a rush of memories entered her brain.

“One of my clones has caught another mindless,” Saku said. “In the outskirts of town,” she added. 

“The teachers?”  Naegi asked. Saku shook her head. 

“No, they’re all accounted for,” she replied.  Naegi frowned, before his face twisted into one of anger. 

“Dammit!” He shouted, standing up abruptly. “Come on, we can trail the  chakra right? If we’re fast, we can catch that damned person,”  Naegi looekd at Saku.

“Yeah,” she said, standing up quickly as  Naegi sped past her and out the door. Saku activated her  byakusharingan , quickly finding that dwindling trail of dark-purple chakra. She sped forward, chakra charging her feet as she jumped across rooftops.  Naegi followed her, right on her heel the entire way. 

\--

Naegi’s head was spinning, because if it wasn’t a teacher, then who was it? A student? What student had the capacity of such attacks? He had a vague idea about the levels of each of the strongest students in each class, because he had fought them in the tournament. There was no one who seemed capable of such things. 

“ Naegi !” Saku explained. “I can see the person,” she said pointing towards the forest outskirts of Konoha.  Naegi nodded to her. 

Saku swiftly disappeared, her speed faster than it normally was.  Naegi headed in the direction Saku pointed, going as fast as he could. He saw the masked person retreating from Saku’s  speeed , and he quickly created shadow clones to surround the person. 

The dark chakra surrounded the person, swirling around them like a snake.  Naegi shuddered. That was too close to someone he never wanted to see again. The cape covered most of the person’s body. They worse a porcelain mask, much like the ANBU masks but slightly different.  Naegi quickly noticed that the person was small – or rather, the same size as himself. 

The person got distracted by his arrival, turning around to face him, completely forgetting about Saku shooting towards them. Saku crashed into the person, bringing them down to the ground and twisting their arms around their back.  Naegi walked forwards carefully,  kneeling down as he removed the mask. His heart skipped a beat.

“ Sumire ?” He asked, his eyes wide.

\--

Saku heard  Naegi’s voice, even if it was mostly a whisper. She felt herself having to strengthen her hold to simply not flinch away from the person. She made sure she could hold the person’s hands with one of hers, so that she could remove the hood.

Long, purple hair, pooling around the person as it was freed from the constrictions of the cape.

“No,” Saku mumbled. She was  _ friends  _ with  Sumire . They were friends!

Sumire turned around, staring at Saku with wild, desperate eyes. Saku deactivated her eyes, taking in  Sumire’s expression. There was anger in her eyes, yet, the rest of her face was stone. No smile, no softness, no movement of her mouth. It reminded Saku of Fujin, and that scared her. 

Because when Fujin had this expression, it meant that he was prepared to stop only if he lost his life. And she desperately hoped that  Sumire wasn’t the same. 

Sumire did something – Saku wasn’t entirely sure what, but suddenly the entire area was covered in thick smoke. Saku heard a roar so loud she had to cover her ears.  Sumire used the moment to throw Saku off her, quickly scrambling to her feet and running away.

“Saku, follow her!”  Naegi shouted. “I’ll deal with this thing!” he said. Saku looked up, her eyes widening. 

Two, bright flowing eyes were staring at them. It looked like the mix between a monkey and a lion, with a monkey facial structure, but a massive white mane surrounding it. It was on all fours, a set of large fangs dripping with saliva as it growled at  Naegi and Saku. Its body looked like a tiger, but the tail was white with another set of fangs.

Seriously, what tail had a mouth?

“Saku, go!”  Naegi shouted again. Saku scrambled to her feet, sprinting after  Sumire . She turned her face for second, seeing  Naegi’s golden chains shooting into the sky, surrounding the beast and restraining it. He was flaring his chakra, probably to get the attention of the  hokage – or anyone. 

Saku focused on her chase, quickly focused on  Sumire as she activated her  byakusharingan again. She didn’t catch up with  Sumire until they had reached the train tracks leading away from Konoha. Saku crashed into her again, stopping her movements for a moment.  Sumire didn’t waste any time, kicking Saku off her with a surprising accuracy. 

“ Sumire ! Why are you doing this?!” Saku shouted.  Sumire didn’t say anything, she simply stared seriously at Saku. 

Who even was she? Saku had never thought  Sumire to be capable of such things. She was so nice – so shy and responsible. She had always helped Saku with her studies, and she had helped their friends with whatever they were struggling it. If it was personal, she was there, was it with school, she was there. 

“What happened to you?” Saku asked, her voice breaking slightly. “I thought we were friends!”  Sumire didn’t seem to react, and Saku felt her stomach twist painfully. Had it all been an act? Had she always had in mind to hurt all these people?

“I have nothing to say to you,”  Sumire said, but her voice was wavering. Saku knit her eyebrows together. Was  Sumire being forced into this? Was she under control of someone? Now that she looked at her closely, Saku could clearly see the seal that adorned  Sumire’s back. It glowed in her vision, much like how Fujin’s seal did. 

Sumire charged at her, but Saku easily defended herself. The only problem was that she didn’t want to hurt  Sumire . There was a restriction, although less than what she usually did with her classmates.  Sumire was strong, compared to her age. Had it not been for her genetic alteration, Saku was certain that they would have been on equal levels. Which meant that  Sumire had been trained by someone.

“Who are you working for?!” Saku shouted.  Sumire halted, her eyes widening slightly. Saku grinned. She was working with someone. Or for someone, anyway. 

“It doesn’t matter,”  Sumire replied. A smirk grew on her face. “It is too late – Nue will absorb all the chakra needed,” she said. Saku froze slightly.

“Needed for what?” She asked.  Sumire grinned at her.

“ _ Boom,” _ She said, her eyes mocking as her hands mimicked that of an explosion. Saku knew she needed to push away her feelings for  Sumire . She knew she had to.  Sumire was serious – she was seriously planning on blowing up Konoha. Yet, Saku couldn’t. 

Sumire was her friend. She couldn’t give up on her. 

“I can’t let you do this,” Saku said. “You realize that, right?” she said.  Sumire nodded.

“I’m not afraid of the consequences,”  Sumire said. “ This is my war – my wish.  I’ve already accepted what will happen now that you are involved,” she said. Saku frowned.

“What does that mean?” She asked.  Sumire looked at her, about to say something when she heard Nue’s roar in the distance.

\--

Naegi knew that fighting a beast one on one wasn’t the best idea he had thought of lately. His chains were holding the best, but only barely. He was hoping that he would be able to get  _ some  _ attention sooner rather than later. You know, one would think that a beast right outside the village would incentivize some urgency. 

The beast struggled against his chains, and the two were in a standstill, tendrils of dark chakra shot out from its  _ tail _ . It attached itself to something out of  Naegi’s field of vision, but he could hear the shouts of several people. Dammit, of course the ninjas protecting the walls would notice this first. They had no chance against this beast. 

Then, a hand touched  Naegi’s shoulder. He turned around, seeing his mother’s intense blue eyes staring down the best. He then felt chakra shoot through him, he was expecting it to be somewhat painful, but it was warm, comforting – strengthening. 

His chains must have tripled in size, and in strength. Spikes shot out of his chains, attaching itself to the beast even harder. 

“You did well,” his mother said, smiling at him. 

“I can keep going,”  Naegi said. His mother nodded at him, and  Naegi felt his stomach blossom with pride. His mother trusted him.

“Eon!” Saku shouted. 

“On it!” Eon’s voice sounded back. 

Naegi looked behind him, seeing a huge white armour – chakra made armour – what even was that? It looked like a huge ass version of what had surrounded Saku the other day when they had the capture the flag game.

Anyway, now that he looked closer at it, he could see Eon in a gem-like structure on its head. The armour shot towards the beast, holding it down as well. 

“We aren’t entirely sure how to defeat it, so we have to keep it here.  Obito is on the way, and he also gave a call to  Ryuusuke . If we need to seal it, he is our best option, so we are stalling,” Yuki explained.  Naegi nodded. Yuki squeezed his shoulder comfortingly.

“If you get tired, I’ll take over. I’ll support you however long you want to. You  holding it with my support is smarter, so that we don’t let it have the opportunity to move, but I’m not risking your health for this,” Yuki said.  Naegi nodded again.

“I’m fine,” he said. “I could have held it on my own for at least another hour as well,” he supplied with a smirk. Yuki grinned at him. She moved so that she stood behind him, supporting him with both her hands. 

Then, the beast let out another desperate roar. A huge portal appeared above it, jumping into the portal.  Naegi felt his chains pull, but before he could release them, he shot after the beast. The last thing he heard before disappearing through the portal was his mother shouting his name.

\--

Saku wasn’t sure what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t the beast’s tail dropping out of  a portal, snatching up  Sumire before withdrawing. Saku, in her panic and slightly confusion about the entire situation, didn’t waste any time in jumping after the monster-tail. 

She was certain that she had jumped upwards – absolutely – but, she was now falling. She wasn’t entirely sure what to make of the area she found herself in. The entire area was dark, mimicking the lighting of a bright moon night.  There was a stump of a large tree in the centre of the room. 

Before she could look around more, she fell into a web of vines. She got tangled into them, and for a moment she thought that it would be an awfully painful landing. Luckily the vines stopped her when her face was inches from the ground. She let out a sigh of relief, grabbing a kunai from her pouch (she may or may not have taken one after the  Naegi incident) and cut herself loose. 

She twirled around, landing on the ground softly. She headed carefully towards the tree stump. There were several large ropes attached to it, large paper slips hanging from them. From what Saku could see, there were seal on the papers. 

Then, a huge crash erupted from underneath the tree, the large monster that had appeared earlier shooting towards Saku. She felt her heart clench. Had  Naegi failed? Where was he? 

She quickly dodged the charging beast, skidding a few meters to the side before she charged at it. She created two shadow clones, quickly splitting up to attack the beast from several angles. That thing - it had  _ eaten  _ Sumire . She felt anger well up inside her. It could have injured  Naegi as well. She didn’t want to think about it – she couldn’t accept it – but the thought was nagging here in the back of her mind. She jumped up on the beast’s back, her kunai shining in the pale lighting as she stabbed it down on the beast’s neck as hard as she could. What had  Sumire called it again? Nue?

Nue did not like her little stab anyway. It quickly threw her off, slamming her into a tree root. She coughed, landing on the ground hard. She looked at the charging beast again, activating her  byakusharingan . She could see a strong gathering of chakra at the base of Nue’s tail. Was that where it stored chakra? Could she release it again? That would probably defeat the beast. 

Nue charged at her again, and she was about to jump to the side when a golden chain suddenly shot towards her. She latched onto it without thinking, and she was quickly yanked up into the air. She landed on one of the large ropes, seeing  Naegi , not battered and bruised, but his clothes were dirty – a testament to that he had been thrown around a lot. 

“You’re okay!” Saku exclaimed.  Naegi nodded.

“I got pulled along with it when it jumped through a portal,”  Naegi said. “I’m guessing that  Sumire is here somewhere,”  Naegi said. Saku focused her gaze on Nue again, seeing the dark chakra surrounding it, a small dark trail leading towards the base of the tree stump. Saku narrowed her eyes, seeing  Sumire standing there with a serious expression. Her hood had been discarded, standing there in a battle styled kimono with the same purple hue has her hair, dark shinobi pants. It was so different from her usual sailor uniform outfit. The innocence she had portrayed for so long – it didn’t seem possible that it had even been there. 

“We have to save her,” Saku said.  Naegi raised an eyebrow.

“Save her?” He asked. “She’s most likely the person commanding this beast to attack us,” he looked down at Nue, narrowing his eyes. 

“And she is planning to blow up Konoha – but there is more to the story! I know it is!” Saku exclaimed.  Naegi looked at her. She held his gaze with strong determination. She knew that  Sumire was a kind person.  Sumire was her friend – she would never abandon her. 

“I’ll distract the beast again,”  Naegi said. “You talk it out with  Sumire ,” he said. Saku grinned. 

“Thanks,” she said.  Naegi shook his head, a smile on his lips. He looked up at her, his bright blue eyes shining with a light-hearted nature. 

“Don’t thank me yet,” he said, waving before he simply dropped down from the rope. Saku watched as he fell, several golden chains erupting from his back as they shot around Nue, pinning the beast to the ground. Saku turned her attention to the stump where  Sumire still stood. She charged chakra to her feet, jumping with the force of a small rocket as she shot towards  Sumire .

Sumire saw her coming, quickly retreating to the other side of the stump. The stump was large, but not gigantic either. The circular shape gave the area almost an arena like feeling. 

Saku crashed into the ground, dust kicking up around her. Saku stood up, walking out of the cloud of smoke as she stared  Sumire down.

“ Sumire ,” Saku said. “Explain to me, why are you doing this?” She asked. “What possible reason could call for all this destruction? All these people that have been hurt?” Saku shouted at her.  Sumire narrowed her eyes. But her mistrustful expression transformed into a smug smile. 

“Since you are going to see it happen anyway, I might as well tell you,” she said. Saku watched as  Sumire turned around, taking her hair away from her back as she showed a large red seal. 

“This is the  Gozu Tennou ,”  Sumire said. “My father died giving it to me,” she said. Saku frowned. 

“Why would he do that?” Saku asked softly.  Sumire stared her down for a moment.  Then, she sped forward, attacking Saku with well-trained attacks. 

“To ensure peace and prosperity for Konoha,” she said with a smile. Saku resisted the urge to laugh, disbelief was clear in her expression. She quickly countered  Sumire’s attack, pushing forward.

“By blowing it  up? By hurting it’s citizens?” She asked loudly. 

“It is the only way for the true leader – the best leader Konoha could ever have coming to power,”  Sumire said. “This,” she paused. “This is war to me, my wish for peace – my father’s wish,” she said. Saku frowned. She hesitated slightly, giving  Sumire the opportunity to jump back and gain some distance, probably realizing that she could not beat Saku in  taijutsu .

“So, this is your father’s war?” She asked. Her eyes were activated, focusing on the cloud of dark chakra that surrounded her. For a moment, she thought it flickered.  Sumire looked uncertain, but she shook her head, her previously calm, yet focused expression turned into one of rage.

“Die!” She screamed, though Saku could see her desperation. She didn’t move, but she head  Naegi’s panicked yell in the distance.  Naegi came shooting towards them, and for a moment Saku thought that  Sumire would attack him.  Naegi thought the same thing, because he created several golden kunai to shoot towards  Sumire . She saw it all in slow motion, and she didn’t waste any time in stepping between  Naegi and  Sumire . 

Naegi , understanding exactly what Saku had done, did his best to move the kunai out of their original path – making some of them disappear as well, anything to make his attack stop. But he could stop all of them.

“Saku!” He screamed, watching as several of his chakra kunai  made contact with Saku’s back. Saku stared in front of her, taking in  Sumire’s horrified expression. Her entire body was shaking, her eyes wide as she stared at Saku.

“W-why?” She whispered. Saku smiled at her, wincing slightly.  Naegi’s kunai disappeared, the chakra they consisted of vanishing. 

“You’re my friend too,” Saku said. “All the lessons, all the times you acted like the responsible class president. When you helped me with my studies – I refuse to believe that it was all an act,” Saku let herself fall on one knee, knowing that  Naegi would heal her sooner rather than later. But he understood that he couldn’t move while  Sumire was armed and only a meter away from Saku.

“No,”  Sumire whispered. She looked down towards Nue, where  Naegi’s chains had stopped restricting him. “I will do this,” she said. She pointed at Nue, gaining the beast’s attention.

“Nue! Come to me!” She shouted. Nue immediately jumped into the air, landing behind  Sumire with a growl. “Take my chakra – detonate and fulfil Father’s wish!”  Sumire said. 

Nue didn’t move. It stared down at  Sumire with its golden eyes.

“Come on!”  Sumire shouted. Nue let out a low growl, moving towards  Sumire slowly. Saku felt herself beginning to panic, afraid of watching her friend die. However, Nue simply pushed his head softly into  Sumire .

Sort of like a cat.

A large,  monstourous , hybrid cat. 

“W-why? Why won’t you listen to my command?!”  Sumire exclaimed. Saku chuckled. 

“I think Nue and I have the same idea,” Saku said.  Sumire looked up at Nue. 

“You...” she whispered. Nue let out another growl, Saku guessed it would be something of an affirmative sound. 

Suddenly, the seal on  Sumire’s back shattered,  Sumire leaning onto Nue’s snout as she gathered herself. She looked weaker. 

Then, the room startled to rumble, dust and small amounts of debris began falling from the roof. 

“The  Gezo tennou was  destoryed – the chakra stored in it has been released, causing this pocket dimension to collapse, you have to go!”  Sumire exclaimed.  Naegi ran over to Saku, putting his arm in front of her.

“We don’t have time, bite!” He said quickly. Saku looked at him  hesitantly, but did as told. She bit down on his arm, drawing blood. 

Naegi’s healing bloodline was not only amplifying his healing abilities, but simply ingesting his blood would heal all wounds. 

Neither Saku nor Fujin was  really comfortable with doing it, because it hurt  Naegi . Luckily, it didn’t leave scars.  Naegi healed too quickly.

Naegi jumped away and Saku was about to follow when she saw  Sumire stay still with Nue behind her. Saku sprinted over to her, grabbing  Sumire’s shoulders.

“You have to come too!” Saku shouted. “I’m not leaving you behind,” 

Sumire stared at  her,not entirely sure if she really understood what was going on. She then nodded slowly. Saku grabbed her hand, dragging her along as she followed  Naegi . Nue came running after hem, lowering himself so that Saku,  Sumire and  Naegi could jump onto his back. He quickly took them to a cave like  tunell , throwing them off as he pushed away larger stones that had  began falling towards them.

“Nue!”  Sumire shouted, but neither  Naegi nor Saku was going to let her run back to him. They pulled her along, seeing a disappearing shape of the dark chakra. Saku focused her eyes, seeing a warp to where she had been fighting Sumire before. She yelled in determination and used a chakra-infused punch, shattering what almost seemed to be like an illusion. Naegi, Saku and Sumire fell through, landing on the ground with a crash. 

“We made it,” Saku breathed out. 

Sumire looked distraught.

“Nue!” She shouted. “Nue!”

Saku’s face fell, she walked over to  Sumire , placing a hand on her shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly. 

Sumire didn’t seem to react at first, she simply stood still in silence. She was turning around when several voices were heard.

Obito , Yuki, Eon and a squad of ANBU were running towards them. Yuki and Eon immediately went to  Naegi and Saku, while the ANBU surrounded  Sumire loosely. 

Obito stared at her, a pitiful expression on his face.

“It was me,”  Sumire said suddenly.  Naegi and Saku stared at her with wide eyes.  Obito nodded softly.

“Sai,” he said. One of the ANBU, an awfully pale man with dark eyes and black hair, took hold of  Sumire’s shoulder.

“ Kakei Sumire , no,  Shigaraki Sumire ,”  Obito said. “You’re under arrest,”

\--

Fujin had seen it all on the news.

And he was furious.

He had understood that  Danzo had been planning something big – he knew  Sumire was most likely involved. Yet, he had kept his word, or rather, he hadn’t disobeyed  Danzo’s order and stayed out of the entire operation.

He had left with his father when he had gotten the call about an emergency in Konoha. Not that his father was all that happy about him joining, but he also knew that he couldn’t talk Fujin out of it.

By the time they had gotten there, the emergency was seemingly over. After searching the area for approximately half an hour, Fujin picked up Saku and  Naegi’s chakra signatures reappearing in the distance. He pointed them out to the others, and they immediately set  out but he made it a point to stay out of view, so that  Sumire , who he assumed was the third chakra signature he could sense, wouldn’t know that he was there.

Sumire was arrested, and Saku and  Naegi went home with their parents.

Fujin was really planning on just going home then, but a sense of dread settled in him.

Sumire knew. She knew he was working with  Danzo . She knew  Danzo would never come for her, because she had failed – she had nothing to lose.

So, he had activated his stealth seal and sent a clone home with his dad. 

Konoha’s security was by no means easy to get past. He almost wished that he had Saku’s eyes to guide him.  But, he managed.

The prison section of Konoha was not very well known, being guarded closely by ANBU. So, sneaking in, disabling the security cameras, removing the ANBU guards and making his way to  Sumire’s cell without being seen or setting of any alarm was not easy.

But not impossible.

Sumire’s cell was dimly lit. She had chakra-restricting cuffs on, sitting on a simply bench and stared at her feet. She looked up as Fujin appeared in her cell.

“I told you not to involve them,” Fujin said darkly.  Sumire looked up at him, and he was taken aback of how  _ vulnerable  _ she looked. Nothing  like in their previous conversations, when she had an air of false superiority and strong purpose. 

“Did  Danzo send you?” She asked quietly. Fujin shook his head.  Sumire stood up, for a moment, she almost looked happy. She walked towards Fujin, almost hopeful. He narrowed his eyes. 

She didn’t have time to react before he had quietly pushed her to the ground. It was almost unnaturally silent.  Sumire’s frightened eyes stared back into his own. Her hands helplessly tried to defend her, to claw or wiggle her way out from under Fujin.

Fujin let his hand reach around  Sumire’s neck while the other activated a silencing seal on her. He watched as she cried, obviously terrified.

And then he squeezed.


	10. Fujin is unarmed

Saku and  Naegi had gotten a rather light punishment considering that they had directly disobeyed orders.  Naegi , upon realizing that it was all over, and he no longer needed to worry about an upcoming victim, had become quite scared thinking about the consequences of his actions. 

Yet, the worst punishment was that they were both grounded at Eon’s house (because everyone knew they wouldn’t heed the terms of the grounding in their own home). They stayed together,  and also had Eon watching over them, which was by far more effective when it came to ‘punishment’ than what it would be like with Yuki. Not that Eon was very strict, or that Yuki was unable to be strict, but Eon was less... weak to convincing than what Yuki was. 

They still had to go to school, and they had been assigned extra homework, much to Saku’s complaints. 

After a few days, during a rather boring afternoon, Eon returned from work with a grim expression. Saku and  Naegi had been in the living room, their books scattered around them.  Yachi had come out from the kitchen, ready to greet Eon as she entered, but stopped in his tracks as he saw her face. He quickly ushered her into the kitchen.

Naegi and Saku exchanged a look. It wasn’t clear what had happened, but  Naegi knew that while he and Saku could’ve been eavesdropping, they wouldn’t. It was enough to disobey them  once, it was foolish to do it again. 

But, soon enough, Eon and  Yachi came out from the kitchen, calmly sitting down on the couch opposite from  Naegi and Saku. Eon was stone-faced, her hands folded in her lap as she looked at  Naegi and Saku.

“Something happened,” Eon said quietly.  Naegi felt Saku’s hand immediately reach for his. He took it, holding it tightly. “ Sumire ,” Eon paused a bit, as if she was gauging their reaction already. 

“What about her?”  Naegi asked quickly. Eon sighed. She was about to answer when  Yachi cut in.

“She was killed in her cell,” he said. Saku stiffened beside him, inhaling sharply. 

“How?”  Naegi asked. Both  Yachi and Eon stared at him, unsure  whether or not they actually wanted to tell him. Eon pulled out a scroll from her pocket, throwing it over to  Naegi . 

“Hey,”  Yachi protested lightly. 

“They’re going to figure it out eventually anyway,” Eon reasoned.  Yachi closed his mouth, a small frown on his face. 

Naegi opened the scroll. Reading its contents quickly.  Sumire had apparently strangled herself with her own chains. The investigator theorized that she would rather die than be caught.  Naegi frowned. It didn’t seem like that when they took her down. Had she changed her mind? Or had she perhaps fooled them all along?

“On another note,” Eon said, trying to lighten the mood. “ Ryuusuke called earlier and said that he was giving Fujin two weeks off from training. He said that he might be coming next week,” 

Saku’s mood brightened considerable, but there was a shadow hiding in her eyes, and  Naegi couldn’t blame her. He wouldn’t admit it out loud, but he had been disappointed in Fujin. He wished that Fujin had helped them, and he wished Fujin had been there for them. Knowing that  Sumire was dead was hard, and while he was glad Fujin was coming back for a bit, he  wasn’t able to shake the ‘what-ifs’. 

\--

Fujin hadn’t made a choice if he wanted to risk going to Konoha or not. He had no official reason not to, but the hanging threat of what  Danzo would do if he returned was there. He’d paced, and he had thought out what to do. And then he decided that his best option, although he reluctantly made the decision, was to go to Arima. 

Arima did not have contact with  Danzo , but  Orochimaru did. Which meant that since Fujin could play nice, he might be able to get  Danzo to agree that he should return to Konoha as to not get too much suspicion around him. Suspicion which already had started to gather, because of  Naegi and Saku.

Fujin was not happy with the situation. 

He had never wanted to so bluntly reject Saku and  Naegi’s situation. He had wanted to help them, but he knew that the situation that they were facing was the operation  Danzo was staging. He couldn’t interfere, because if he did, it could have major consequences. 

That didn’t stop him for feeling like the scum of the earth. 

Arima had an apartment in the student district. It was quite the distance to walk from the  Uzukage mansion, but not a walk Fujin was completely against. There was something calming about walking the streets of  Uzu . He didn’t want to tell his dad, since it would mean a clear violation of his and  Danzo’s deal, but he did have control over his strength. Sure, he was a bit on edge sometimes, but he didn’t go around breaking people’s arms anymore. 

Uzu’s architecture was quite special. The mix between a traditional and modern setting after technology had become more and more prominent in society. The centre of  Uzu was the  Uzukage tower, a tall building which let one see everything of  Uzu from the top, where the  Uzukage office was. Around the tower, on the lowest parts of  Uzu , was a circle of parks with several lakes and small bridges. Once you came out of that circle, you entered the city.

Uzu was one of the most advanced of the great nations, and the lower district was filled with tall buildings with shops, hotels and tourist attractions. It was first after this part that once could notice the slight elevation in  Uzu’s ground, traces of when it had just been a huge crater. 

Uzu had looked quite differently back when it was first rebuilt, but after technology and research became more important, and  Uzu’s academy began to grow, Fujin’s dad had gone and rebuilt everything to a more necessary structure. The  uzu academy had been made larger, the student district expanded. Embassies were given their own districts, and almost a fourth of the city was dedicated to tourism, shopping and whatnot. Research facilities were made, the hospital was improved, the harbour and train station had been created. As mentioned earlier, the lowest districts were the most modern, but that modernity did follow up the main road towards  Uzu’s maingate . On the student area, the embassies and  Uzu’s residental area however, there was a traditional styled architecture. The academy was a mixture between the two, the theoretical classes and research facilities being more modern, and the dojos and training facilities having that traditional flare. 

Uzu’s tower had even gone from being almost completely traditional to a modern, sleek design. 

Anyway, walking through  Uzu city was not so fun, but walking from the residential area to the student area, which was his general route when going to the academy to train, was quite nice. Lots of spring blossoms framed the roads, and while most of the year they were either green or had no leaves or flowers whatsoever, it was particularly pretty during the spring when they were in bloom and painted the entire city pink. 

Once Arima’s house came into view, Fujin immediately steeled himself for what was to come. He gently knocked on the door, waiting silently in front of it. It didn’t take long before the door opened, revealing a rather tired-looking Arima. He wore a loose shirt, dark sweatpants barely on him and slightly askew.

“You alright?” Fujin asked, though he wasn’t entirely sure if he cared. Arima scoffed lightly in reply.

“What do you want?” Arima further opened the door, letting Fujin into the apartment. There was no way they were going to have any real conversation in public. 

“I need you to send a message to  Orochimaru for me,” Fujin said. Arima raised a brow, clearly confused. He went over to a small sitting area, resting on the side of a sofa. 

“What kind of message?” Arima asked. Fujin quickly looked around for any possible open windows, then proceeded with quickly going through a series of hand signs. A small seal was marked as he touched the wall, glowing slightly. 

“My father gave me a few weeks off from training, it will be expected of me to return to Konoha,” Fujin said. Arima crossed his arms.

“What does make that so important?”

“ Danzo has me effectively banished from Konoha for the time being. I need you to talk to  Orochimaru so that he can tell  Danzo to let me go. If I stay away when I have no reason that I can tell people, they are going to ask questions. If I get any more suspicion around me, the limited movement I have now will be further reduced,” Fujin explained. Arima hummed in agreement. 

“I’ll talk to him when I get there,” he said. Fujin narrowed his eyes slightly.

“What do you mean?” He asked. Arima smiled wryly at him, pointing towards some packed bags in the corner.

“I’ve been called back. My abilities are more of use to him than it is for me to be here. Besides, the closer we get to the mission part of the academy, the easier it will be for me to accidentally slip up when it comes to my abilities,” Arima explained. 

“Your abilities?”

“Wood style, thanks to your friend  Naegi ,” Arima stated. Fujin stared at him for a moment, before a strike of realization hit him.

“Subject eleven,” Fujin said. Arima clicked his tongue. 

“Bingo.” He leaned back, falling onto the couch lazily.

“That’s why your name sounded familiar,” Fujin remarked. Arima chuckled.

“To be genetically enhanced to be smart, you really are dumb,” Arima stated. Fujin shook his head, not going to honour the remark with a reply.

“You’ll deliver my message then?” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Arima waved his hand. “Say hi to Saku from me while you’re over there,” he said. Fujin frowned. How did they know each other?

“You know Saku?” Fujin asked, this time his tone didn’t sound so light-hearted. He saw Arima tense up slightly. 

“Nah, I was joking,” Arima said. Fujin walked over to him, quickly grabbing Arima’s shirt and lifting him up to his feet.

“Don’t fuck around with me,” Fujin said darkly. Arima stared at him, his eyes wide. 

“Chill out, no need to go all tailed beast on me,” Arima said quickly. Fujin looked to the side, seeing himself in the mirror. His eyes were red. He sighed, letting Arima go. 

“Explain,” 

Arima gathered himself before sitting down on the couch again. He let his arms fall to his lap. 

“While Saku was in isolation after her own enhancements, I was... I was there too. Not in the same cell, but close. They weren’t really  rooms as much as just there were bars separating us. She was blindfolded after her eyes...” Arima trailed off, lifting his hands to rest his face in them. “We became friends, I guess. Supported each other while we could,”

Fujin had moved to lean against the wall, arms crossed and deeply immersed in the story. 

“Anyway, I never saw her again after she left when her eyes healed. After I worked hard and became higher ranked, I found her file – not long after you three had escaped,” Arima sighed. He stood up.

“I have to leave,” he said. “it’s always better to blend in during rush hour,” 

Fujin kept his gaze on Arima a little longer. He had no idea that they had been close. But he immediately felt it sting. Saku had been here not long ago – it would have done wonders for them to meet again. 

“Arima. I can’t let you go,” Fujin said. Arima looked up at him, puzzled. 

“I’m not following,” Arima said. Fujin looked up to the roof, once again reconsidering  whether or not he was thinking straight.

“One,” Fujin said. “You’re too strong with your abilities to me let you walk freely out of  Uzu to go back to  Orochimaru ,” he  lifted up two fingers. “Two, it would be a major pain in  Orochimaru’s ass if I kept you here,” he lifted another finger. “Three, you don’t want to go. Because Saku is  _ here _ \- well, not really, but almost,” Fujin walked over to Arima, standing beside him while he looked anywhere else.

“Besides, how am I supposed to look Saku in her eyes if I let you leave? She’ll give me literal hell if she finds out,” Fujin chuckled. 

“Then don’t tell her,” Arima stated. “I will go back – since I am loyal to  Orochimaru ,” he stated. Fujin laughed – not just a slight chuckle, no, a full out laugh.

“ _ No one  _ is loyal to  Orochimaru . He rules by fear. You just don’t have purpose. You’re a bird with your wings tied to your back,” Fujin said jokingly, waving his hands in a fluttering motion. 

“That’s not true,” Arima snarled. 

“Then, if  Orochimaru asked you to kill Saku, would you do it?” Fujin asked. Arima clamped his mouth shut. He looked away from Fujin swiftly.

“You wouldn’t do it, right? I bet you didn’t want to be loyal to  Orochimaru at first, until you met Saku. Until you realized that there was that  _ one good thing  _ left in that hellhole. Why should you be loyal to the snake, huh? He brought so much suffering upon you, upon Saku,” Fujin said. He turned to look at Arima.

“And he killed your sister,”

Fujin got shot through a wall, crashing into a bathroom as he ruined some pipe. Water sprouted from it, drenching Fujin quickly. Fujin jumped to his feet, hurrying back towards the living room. He couldn’t see Arima anywhere and just as he was about to turn around, a hard chop to the neck sent him to the ground, his world instantly turned back. 

\--

When Fujin opened his eyes again, the apartment was empty. The wall that had been broken had been mended with raw wood. Fujin cursed loudly, slamming his fist on the floor before he stood up. He grabbed a kunai from his seal, slashing open his hand as he created a blood clone. 

“That fucker – I will bring him back even if I have to beat him senseless,” Fujin snarled. He quickly transformed into a generic child, sprinting towards the main gate. He wasn’t entirely sure where Arima was going, so he had to catch him before he left  Uzu , be it by train or by boat. 

A small amount of  kyuubi chakra entered his system.  Fujin took a deep breath. While it was impossible to actually control the chakra, the little he got from this irritation was enough to boost his senses. But he had to be careful. He was glad he had taken his time to memorize Arima’s chakra signature – or else he would’ve been gone for good. He just needed to get close, because he couldn’t extend his range or else his father would immediately  know . 

Fujin quickly melded into the group of people heading to the main gate, making his way through quickly. Once he had gotten through the gate, he caught a small sense of Arima. He was at the harbour. Fujin quickly sprinted towards the place, but as he arrived, all he saw was a boat disappearing in the distance. It was headed to the Land of Hot Water. The closest one to Sound. Fujin narrowed his eyes, quickly making his way to the water before he sprinted off.

He had a week. And he was sure as hell going to get Arima back so that he could bring him to Konoha.  Danzo be damned. 

\--

Arima was good. He was by no means a novice when it came to know how to disappear. But Fujin knew all his tricks. Whatever he learned by  Orochimaru – Fujin knew it too, and he knew it better.

However, Arima had approximately three hours ahead when they started. He had managed to increase that to maybe four or five when he had gotten into the Land of Hot Water. Fujin needed to get some supplies, because he was  _ not _ going anywhere near Sound before he had properly prepared himself. That also meant preparing a teleportation seal so that he could get the fuck away from there after he got Arima. 

Yet, after nearly a day of chasing the damned boy, Fujin had managed to get some ground. By the trail, Arima had been at his current route two hours ago. It was good news, but still not great  news . The border between Hot Water and Sound was half a day away, and if Fujin didn’t catch Arima before then, things would get dangerous very fast. 

If his heart was an example on how he was feeling, the pounding fifty times per second type, he was terrified. 

He had never wanted to be this close to  Orochimaru again. 

It had been years, but it still felt like yesterday. 

The pole through his chest, the  burns - it was still so fresh in his mind. 

Fujin shook his head. He needed to focus. This was for Saku. Saku who  definitely needed some more good news in her life. This was one way he could repay her, and perhaps even  Naegi , for being such a dick with the  Sumire incident. His heart clenched. They probably knew that she was... gone.

Fujin felt bad. He wished he could explain what happened to them, and why she had to go. But he couldn’t. It was too dangerous. 

He didn’t feel remorse over her though, only for  Naegi and Saku’s sake did he even feel bad about her fate. 

Fujin grew more anxious as the hours went past, the distance between him and Arima reducing, but still not enough. It wasn’t fast enough. 

“Dammit!” Fujin screamed. He channelled chakra to his feet, trying to shoot himself forwards. 

Why was Arima such a stupid ass? Couldn’t he just be a good intellectual and not run off to a psycopath? 

Why was Fujin even here? Why was he running after the dude? Sure, Saku would hate him if he just let Arima go back there, but there were several other reasons for why to hate Fujin by now. To be fair, there were probably more reasons to hate him than not to. What was it that made it so important to him that Arima got back? Sure, they had hung out while in  Uzu . They had occasionally eaten together with Haru and Natsu at some junk food place downtown. They had trained a bit every now and then – but it was all because they had to, right?

Fujin didn’t consider him a friend.

And so, he pushed forwards once again. 

\--

The border to Sound was not guarded. Hell,  Orochimaru probably didn’t have scouts in the wilderness at all. No one really knew exactly where Sound was anymore, because the hideouts had been switched around and changed. Yet, they all knew that he was here. 

Self-proclaimed  Kage .

There was only one thing that  Orochimaru would have coming for him, and that was the  _ shadow  _ of Arima and Fujin leaving him. 

Arima was perhaps an hour ahead. He would get wherever he was supposed to. Which meant that rather than rushing in after him, Fujin would  actually have to plan how to do this. He had no way of knowing the layout of the hideout – not entirely sure if this was the  one he was at or not. If it was, then he would have no problem. (Had he perhaps memorized it? He didn’t spend hours studying for nothing). 

Thinking of Arima made him think of other possible subjects. All of them had been injected with different DNA, healed over with  Naegi’s blood. It was one thing to think of those, who most likely were perfect – and then imperfect subjects. Or  Orochimaru’s many soldiers fitted with a cursed seal. They were insanely strong. Fujin was strong too but fighting them all at once wasn’t an option. He needed to be stealthy about this. 

It had been around two days since he left when he saw the entrance to  Orochimaru’s hideout. Stealth was at least something he knew how to do, as he made sure to keep himself disguised and at a safe distance. Arima had gone in earlier, and Fujin did his best to try and sense him. It was a bitch, since  Orochimaru had so many barriers up and running. 

There was only one option. And it was a really  _ really _ stupid option.

It was such an inconvenient thing for Arima to just suddenly be ready to up and leave. It felt like there was some asshole sitting somewhere thinking ‘how much could I inconvenience Fujin before he finally snaps?’. 

And so, with that thought that there was some dick somewhere just out to make him suffer as much as possible, Fujin jumped down from his hiding spot and sped into the hideout. 

Dimly lit, the same ugly pattern as it had been all those years ago. In the distance, Fujin could hear the shouting from the pit, the screaming of the tortured. A wave of nausea hit him as he doubled over, spilling out whatever he had eaten earlier that day. 

It took him a bit to gather himself again, and for a minute he didn’t know if he even wanted to. He still had time to bail out and just forget about everything. 

And then he heard another scream. 

Why was he here just to save Arima? Couldn’t he take more while he was here? Save a whole bunch of kid from a fate Fujin knew they didn’t deserve?

Fujin got to his feet, his body shaking as he did so. He had to keep going. 

There weren’t as many guards as Fujin expected. In fact, he couldn’t really recall there ever being guards at  Orochimaru’s place. 

Yet,  Orochimaru himself was not to be messed with. 

Fujin’s senses were obscured from the outside, but not so much on the inside. It wasn’t easy to trace Arima’s chakra signal, but while he was at it, he should do some damage. Creating a shit ton of shadow clones, sending them to different locations. There  was four goals he had. One, the priority, get Arima. Two, get any valuable info. Three, get all prisoner’s he could out of there, ‘cos that would really fuck over  Orochimaru’s operation, and give Fujin more time to kick his ass. Four, destroy as much as he could when he’s leaving.

As Fujin reached further out with his senses, he noticed  _ him. _

That dark, slimy chakra. When you sensed it, in contrast to sensing other chakra signatures which always felt like when a light breeze or running your hand through water,  Orochimaru’s chakra was heavy, like trying to run through mud that reached your chest. 

It was disgusting. And terrifying. 

Arima was right by  Orochimaru , and that itself was dangerous. Fujin was glad he had used some time to plan this after all. 

He kept his distance for a while, waiting until a wave of memories was sent back to his brain. He didn’t even need to process them before he heard the prisoners rioting in the halls. Fujin sprinted towards Arima – towards  Orochimaru . 

Fujin knew he was leaving a lot up to chance. He wasn’t making sure that anyone else got out – he couldn’t risk it. But he gave them a chance. It was up to them how they used it. He forced the doors to  Orochimaru’s room or office or whatever this was, seeing the snake sitting as proudly as he always did. A smile was on his face, his eyes both excited and surprised at the same time. 

But Fujin didn’t wait for him to say anything, as he simply rushed at Arima, who had yet to register what was going on as well. He crashed into the other boy, starting the teleportation sequence. It wasn’t until he noticed a snake biting into his arm that he realized something was wrong.

And then he remembered. 

He stared at his wrist accusingly, the snake bracelet burning underneath the sweatband. He had been tracked –  Orochimaru had known he was here. Why had he let Fujin come inside? 

They teleported away, and for a moment, everything was disorientated. Then, Fujin and Arima crashed into a clearing in the Land of Hot Water.

Arima threw Fujin off him, jumping to his feet as he glared at Fujin.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Arima roared. Fujin coughed, cradling his arm which was getting more and more inflamed as the seconds passed.

“I’m getting you back to Saku, what do you think I’m doing?!” Fujin snarled back.

“I didn’t ask you to!”

“You didn’t have to!” 

Arima shut up, his hands quivering in either rage or sadness – perhaps something else. Fujin wasn’t sure. 

“He will come after her,” Arima said. “He  _ told me  _ that he would go after Saku if I disobeyed! He knows where you are! You know that he can reach you!” Arima screamed. 

“Of course, he told you that!” Fujin shot back. “He will  _ always  _ try to get us back! It doesn’t matter if you behave or not! Right now, he’s just waiting until we’re vulnerable again. He knows that he can’t touch us as long as we are protected by our parents as we are now!” Fujin stood up, slowly and unsteadily before stalking over to Arima with a glare.

“News flash, idiot! The only thing you can do to keep Saku safe, is by doing it yourself! I can’t always be there for them – because there are too many people that I care about that can get hurt because of me, but if  _ you  _ can take some of that burden by protecting Saku? Then I will sure as hell bring you out of  Orochimaru’s sick game!” Fujin shouted at him. 

Then, Arima’s hand shot through his shoulder. It burned, but Fujin clamped his mouth shut. He wouldn’t give Arima a response. He wouldn’t give him any satisfaction. He stared at Arima, his eyes like stone. Arima seemed terrified – desperate. 

“I won’t betray  Orochimaru ,” Arima stuttered out. Fujin let out a low growl. He felt the  kyuubi chakra flood his system, red chakra flickered to life around him like flames, a darkness seeping through them, just like when he had first gotten the  kyuubi .  He couldn’t care less about the danger.

“If you pick  Orochimaru ,” Fujin said. “I will kill you, because Saku doesn’t need one of her precious people being a pawn for the snake that  _ ruined our lives _ ,” Fujin snarled. He grabbed Arima’s arm, ripping it out from his shoulder. Arima fell backwards in shock, and Fujin landed softly before stumbling. He crashed into the ground. 

His vision was darkening, the world was spinning. He looked at his arm, and even aside from the blood from Arima’s little stunt, it was alarming. Black veins travelled up his arm from the snake bite. It was just on his forearm so fast, but it was spreading. The snake bracelet just adding to the pain Fujin felt. 

As he was about to pass out, he felt Arima pick him up.

“If you die here, who’s going to protect Saku?” Arima asked him. Fujin let out a low chuckle.

“You,” 

\--

Arima had to be honest. He had not planned for anything like this to happen.  First of all , he had resigned to the idea that he wouldn’t actually see Saku until  Orochimaru brought them all back.  Being around Fujin was  Orochimaru reminding both Fujin and Arima about the reach that he had. That there was no escaping him. Fujin seemed to be aware of that as well.

Yet, when Arima said he was leaving, Fujin suddenly became all confident in his ability to hold off  _ Orochimaru _ _.  _ It was foolish. Not wanting to possibly get captured by  Uzu authorities or Fujin himself, Arima had knocked him out. He knew that it was a lucky shot, because Fujin, despite being shot through a wall with one of Arima’s most powerful  jutsu , he had gotten up again within a few second. 

And the same boy was currently hanging over his back, blacked out and in a strong fever. The black veins on his arms were still only on his lower arm, but they were climbing up slowly but surely. Arima knew that his best shot was taking Fujin to Konoha. It was a much longer trip, but he couldn’t risk taking Fujin across the water, and he couldn’t go through official transport, since both he and Fujin were technically not supposed to be outside of  Uzu .

Naegi , not that Arima really knew anything about him other than his file, had healing powers. Fujin  definitely needed a healer, and he needed one sooner rather than later. 

Another problem with heading towards Konoha, was that there wasn’t a very long distance between them and Sound. Arima was hoping that maybe Konoha’s borders were better protected, making sure that  Orochimaru wouldn’t be able to follow them and bring them back before they made it to the village.

Arima had finally gotten into the thick forest area that marked him being halfway into the Land of Fire, meaning halfway to Konoha. It was dusk, and though it was warm in the Land of Fire compared to other places, the night brought an unexpected chill. Perhaps that Arima had gotten too used to  Uzu’s climate. 

Fujin suddenly began to spasm. He let out a weak groan as he fell of f Arima’s back. Arima stopped in his tracks, seeing Fujin hold onto his wounded arm, his nails digging into the skin. He glanced up at Arima, his pupils were abnormally dilated. Sweat made his hair stick to his head, and he was awfully pale. Arima  knelt down next to him, unsure what to say or what to do. He was no medical expert, but he could tell that Fujin wouldn’t make it to Konoha like this. 

“The snake... he knew I was coming,” Fujin said hoarsely. “The poison is counteracting the healing I have from the  kyuubi ,” he was about to say something else when he suddenly jumped, flinging Arima up into the trees as a volley of kunai and shuriken shot down where they sat. Arima looked around him quickly, finding a squad of Sound ninja grinning at them from the trees. Arima narrowed his eyes and quickly went to work.

He wasn’t  Orochimaru’s best soldier for nothing. 

Orochimaru must have been counting on him being against Fujin, perhaps unconscious, because the squad he sent after them was  definitely aimed for the poisoned Fujin and a willing Arima. 

He made quick work of his opponents, their bodies falling to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Arima quickly went back to Fujin, who was resting beside a tree and trying to stay awake. Fujin lifted his arm, the snake bracelet dangling of his now bare wrist. 

Arima was struck with realization. The snake bracelets were quite hard to create and  Orochimaru was very careful with them, so when he sent out important soldiers, he gave them a snake. When they came back, he removed them again. Arima didn’t have his anymore, but  as long as Fujin had his, he would be followed. 

And only  Orochimaru could remove them. 

He looked at Fujin again, who’s eyes were hard and unwavering.

“I need you to do me a favour,” he said. Arima stared at him. Fujin’s weakened form was unsettling, and the situation itself put him on edge. Fujin lifted his wounded arm again, the black veins thick and sickening. The snake bracelet dangled of his wrist as he straightened the arm out.

“Cut it off,” he said. Arima’s eyes widened. 

“I can’t - the bleeding, you’ll die!” Arima stated. Fujin shook his head. 

“The  kyuubi can heal the damage, since the poison will leave my system. It’s the only way the bracelet will get off and  we can  get to Konoha safely,”  Fujin shuddered. “I can’t do it myself, you have to,” he looked Arima dead in the eye. There was a determination that Arima couldn’t quite understand. Wouldn’t it just be easier to go back to  Orochimaru ? It wasn’t all that bad once you just listened to what he told you. 

“Do it,” Fujin snarled. His eyes began to turn red. “Hurry!”

Arima inhaled sharply. “I only have a kunai,” Arima said quietly. Fujin grimaced, bringing his wounded hand over to his right arm, unsealing the seal on his wrist. Weapons fell to the ground, pouches with kunai and small swords. 

“Jesus,” Arima muttered. “How did you get these?” he asked, but Fujin gave him no answer. Arima gingerly picked up a sword. He took Fujin’s arm, holding it out. Fujin bit his lip, his whole body went rigid. 

“Ready?” Arima asked. Fujin nodded shortly. Arima grabbed the headband on Fujin’s hand, folding it quickly before holding it out to Fujin. “You  gotta bite down on this, don’t want you to bite your tongue off,” he stated. Fujin opened his mouth before biting down on the headband. 

Arima held the sword up, taking Fujin’s arm again. He took a deep breath, and he watched as Fujin closed his eyes, his brows furrowed in concentration. 

The sword went down.

Fujin screamed.

\--

Arima knew that being a  jinchuuriki means the impossible becomes a bit more possible. The amount of blood that Fujin lost would have killed most people two times over, but he pulled through. Rather than letting him bleed out quickly, Arima was about to bandage up the arm when Fujin did one-handed seals and used a fire-style  jutsu on the arm, quickly cauterizing the wound. Arima flinched away as Fujin let out a restrained cry of pain. 

The amount of blood that Fujin was covered in and in general just how sick he looked did not help their chances of going into Konoha unnoticed. Not that Arima looked a lot better, but at least he didn’t look like he would die any second. 

Fujin passed out soon after he had stopped screaming. Arima shuddered as he looked over at the prone boy, but nonetheless he walked over to him. He lifted Fujin off the ground, throwing him onto his back before he began running. He needed to get away from the location. 

After a few hours, Arima could sense Konoha in the distance. It was around then when Fujin began to wake as well. He attempted to get off Arima’s back, but Arima held him tighter.

“You’ll just slow me down,” Arima stated. Fujin chuckled weakly. 

“ Danzo has summoned me,” he said. “We’re safe to go into Konoha,” he said. Arima felt his heart skip a beat. He had completely forgotten about Fujin’s temporary banishment. He wondered what would’ve happened if he hadn’t delivered Fujin’s message to  Orochimaru upon arrival. Had he waited, Fujin would have taken him out of there before he’d have the chance. 

“You can’t go to  Danzo now,” Arima stated. Fujin barely nodded. 

“I’m going to get into so much trouble for this,” he said. Arima laughed softly.

“What? People don’t usually allow a ten-year-old to sprint off to a different nation, break into one of the most wanted criminals in the world’s hideout, kidnap one of his soldiers, before then leaving for  _ another  _ nation rather than going home?” Arima asked. Fujin smiled, but it was weak and barely noticeable. 

“I can get us through the barrier, but we’ll have to go around the other side. It’s closer to where we live, making it harder for someone to accidentally spot us,” Fujin explained. He did a series of one-handed seals again, placing his unnaturally cold hand on Arima’s neck. Arima felt a seal appear there.

“Stealth seal,” Fujin explained. “I worked it around the barrier so that I could do missions for  Danzo ,” Arima nodded in understanding. 

It didn’t take Arima that long to get to the other side of Konoha, the biggest challenge was not being discovered by any scouts along the wall. Yet, they made it to a very spacious area. Fujin pointed towards a forest in between some larger compounds. 

“We live there. There’s a small compound hidden among the trees,” Fujin said. Arima nodded, sprinting towards the place. 

Passing through the barrier was nerve-wracking. He felt like he’d be discovered, that Fujin’s seal wouldn’t work. It wasn’t a fun experience. Yet, Fujin’s seal seemed to do its job, and soon they were inside the forest that Fujin had pointed at. 

“They’re probably going to get mad,” Fujin added. “They might actually attack you first,” 

“We’ll take it as it comes,” Arima huffed. He was beginning to get tired. Fujin wasn’t exactly light. 

They could see the compound in the distance, and Arima felt his heart beginning to race faster and faster for each step he got closer. What was he going to say? How was he going to explain to Saku that he’d been blackmailing Fujin for the past years? 

He didn’t have a lot of time to ponder, because soon two massive chakra signatures came racing at them. Arima swallowed down his nerves, trying to steel himself for what was to come.

Saku had orbs of fire around her, lighting up the area in a soft orange. Her white eyes and bulged veins, with the  sharingan pattern spinning wildly as she had a worried, yet threatening gaze at Fujin and Arima. 

Naegi looked angry. He was staring at the two with hard, glaring eyes. Golden swords were in each of his hands, almost humming with the amount of chakra channelled to them.

Neither of them seemed to have noticed Fujin, perhaps they were more focused on Arima, who was covered in blood and grime. 

“Put your arms up,”  Naegi called out. Arima raised an eyebrow. That was a peculiar request? He supposed it was a nice question considering he wouldn’t be able to hide his weapons in the air. 

“I can’t,” Arima replied, holding Fujin slightly closer. “I’ll drop him,” 

“Drop who?” Saku asked. Arima took a step closer but halted when the two immediately became more on guard.

“Fujin,” Arima called out. “He needs medical attention,” 

This immediately changed Saku and  Naegi demenaor . They looked at each other, before  both of them seemingly vanished. Arima didn’t have time to react before Fujin was violently ripped off him, Arima himself being kicked away by Saku. Arima frowned. Maybe she didn’t remember him at all. He knew that she hadn’t seen him, and that she’d only heard his voice, but a part of him had wanted her to know – even though it wasn’t sensible. 

Arima heard  Naegi gasp. 

“What did you do to him?!”  Naegi roared. Saku turned around, looking at Fujin’s weakened state. Arima frowned. A great time for Fujin to be out of it again. 

“I didn’t have a choice,” Arima began to explain. “That fool over there decided he wanted to follow me and got himself poisoned and everything,” he added.

“Follow you where?” Saku asked. Arima looked at the ground. 

“ Orochimaru ,” 

The two stiffened immediately, the only sound being the low hum of  Naegi’s healing chakra being transferred over to Fujin. 

“You work for  Orochimaru ?” Saku asked, her voice low and seething. 

“Not anymore,” Arima said quickly. “Fujin he... he saved me, I guess,” he said reluctantly. Saku took a step back when they both were interrupted by Fujin’s groan. 

“Fujin,”  Naegi said carefully. Arima and Saku both hurried over to the other two. Fujin opened his eyes wearily. 

“He’s good,” Fujin said quickly. “Arima saved my life,” he added. 

Now it was Saku’s turn to gasp. She whipped her head around, staring at Arima with wide, unbelieving eyes. 

“Arima?” She asked softly.

“You know him?”  Naegi questioned, still not certain about the entire situation.

“This can wait,” Arima shot in quickly. “Deal with Fujin,” he said.  Naegi nodded, turning his attention back to Fujin. 

“There’s not a lot I can do,”  Naegi explained. “I can heal the damage that is there now, meaning the remaining fever, the blood loss and the burn on the stump of his arm,” he paused. “I can’t regrow the arm,”

“Let’s take him inside,” Saku prompted.  Naegi nodded. He began lifting up Fujin, struggling slightly. Arima hurried over, taking Fujin’s other side.  Naegi eyed Arima carefully.

“You don’t need to trust me,” Arima said. “But I will help anyway,” 

They carried Fujin into the house, bringing him up to one of the guest rooms. 

“It’s better to have him in a calm area while he rests up,”  Naegi explained. “Besides, he hates us seeing him weak. He probably wouldn’t like to be in our bedroom,” 

“What happened?” Saku asked. Fujin grabbed  Naegi’s arm.

“I’ll tell the story later,” Fujin said quickly. “Arima, I’d appreciate it if you’d let me tell them,” Arima nodded in reply. He wasn’t entirely sure what Fujin was planning, but he had a few ideas. 

Saku gently took his arm, a questioning gaze meeting him as she pulled him out of the room, leaving  Naegi and Fujin alone.

“Saku, I-” Arima was interrupted before he could even explain. Saku’s arms wrapped around him hard, as if she was afraid that he would disappear if she let go. She clung to him, shaking slightly.

“I never thought I’d see you again,” Saku said, her voice muffled as she pressed her face into his neck. Arima stood still for a moment, before he carefully brought his arms up to wrap around Saku as well. 

“I’m sorry,” he said softly. 

\--

Having one arm was weird, Fujin decided quickly. It was almost like he still could feel the arm being present, yet every time he tried to stand up or correct the way he was lying, he stumbled. 

It had been a full day since he had arrived at Konoha, marking a week since he left  Uzu to chase Arima. He knew his blood clone was beginning to meet its limit. 

He wasn’t sure how he was going to explain anything. He’d been passed out most of the time, exhausted both from chakra and over exertion.  Danzo hadn’t sent another summons. 

With  Naegi’s healing, he was quickly recovering, and while he knew that he would  techincally be fine within the morning again, the loss of his arm wasn’t something he would be able to hide. 

“Okay,”  Naegi said as he opened the door. He walked in, Saku and Arima following behind. “It’s time to spill, what happened?” He asked. Fujin sighed, moving so he sat at the edge of the bed. 

“I suppose Arima hasn’t offered any insight?” Fujin asked, playing his question like a joke. 

“No,”  Naegi said with a huff. Fujin looked at Arima, who also shook his head barely. Fujin nodded slowly. That was good. It meant that Arima knew that he needed to play with whatever Fujin was saying. 

“Arima is known as subject eleven, implemented with the first  hokage’s DNA to give him the wood style. I remember him from during our time at  Orochimaru’s ,” Fujin said. “I saw him in  Uzu , probably spying on us. That was a week ago,” Fujin explained. “I was afraid that this meant  Orochimaru was beginning to reach out to us again, so I chased after him. I came a bit too close to Sound and was attacked by some of  Orochimaru’s soldiers. I then got poisoned. Luckily for me, Arima knew who I was, and he also remembered you, Saku,” Fujin said, looking over at her with kind eyes. “Arima, knowing that we are important to each other, decided to desert Sound to save me and bring me home, and so to see you,” Fujin said. He let out another sigh.

“But the poison was strong, and for some reason the  kyuubi chakra couldn’t push it out,” Fujin explained. “I was afraid that if it spread too far, I might actually die. So, I asked Arima for help to cut the arm off,” 

“Jesus, Fujin,”  Naegi muttered. “Why didn’t you call your dad?” He asked. Fujin looked at the ground.

“I didn’t really tell him that I left in the first place, since he would never let me,” Fujin stated. “And I figured I didn’t want to get caught leaving the village without telling him,” Fujin chuckled.  Naegi let out another sigh, the worry and exhaustion clear.

“And let me guess, you don’t want us to tell him the truth either?”  Naegi asked. Fujin smiled sheepishly, messing with his hair. 

“Lying to your father?” Saku asked, surprised. Fujin nodded. 

“We can just tell him that I fucked up with one of my seals,” Fujin explained. “I have been working on teleportation seals in secret, I can just say that it was caught in the time warp and that you guys found me like this. I burned the wound shut before passing out,” 

“This is insane,”  Naegi sighed. “At least go to  Tsunade . She can make you a prosthetic out of  hashirama DNA,” he said. Fujin nodded.

“Whatever makes you happy,” Fujin said with a grin.

“Oh, I am  _ not  _ happy,” 


	11. There is a baby.

Fujin sat outside  Tsunade’s office, waiting for the old lady to make an appearance.  Naegi was sitting beside him, not intending on letting him go alone on the chance that he would just run away from the talk that awaited him. 

“This feels weird,” Fujin commented.  Naegi scoffed.

“You’re nervous, get used to it. You can’t always be a super-human,” he commented dryly. Fujin shrugged. His eyes still fixed on the door in front of him. 

He remembered  Tsunade from when she performed the check-ups on himself,  Naegi and Saku back when they just had escaped from  Orochimaru . They had seen each other sometimes during the first few years in Konoha, having minor check-ups and talks. When Fujin went to  Uzu , he performed his tests with his mother. They had gotten some questions about Sakura’s credibility in testing him, since she would have a bias and be more intent on writing him off as healthy, but Sakura had been adamant that she would rather have done a million tests to be certain than to write him off as healthy simply because she could. She valued her son’s actual health than his freedom to do what he wanted to. 

Not that it had stopped him from doing a lot of stupid shit, like losing his arm. 

Soon, the door opened.  Tsunade came out into the hallway, and she took a long look at Fujin.

There was a silence on perhaps five minutes before  Tsunade offered any physical reaction.  Naegi was beside Fujin, resisting his urge to laugh, while Fujin stood frozen. 

“What the fuck,”  Tsunade said, pointing at the stump that was Fujin’s arm. They had perhaps cut off a little bit more than  stricly necessary, the cut being just below the deltoid muscle. 

“I may – or may not -” Fujin started.  Tsunade interrupted him with a short clap.

“I don’t want to hear it,” she said. “Not yet anyway,” she added. Fujin looked at the floor, not entirely sure how to reply.  Naegi stood up. 

“I’m going to go home then,” he said. Fujin nodded, but he wasn’t entirely sure how he was going to survive this without  Naegi .  Tsunade waved him inside her office. 

The office was simplistic, but nonetheless it had an aura of authority.  Tsunade’s desk was in the back corner, an examination table on the opposite side of the room from it.  There was a little sitting area in front of the room, separating the office from what seemed like a nice living room and a professional setting. Then again, it all felt very professional with  Tsunade there.

“First of all,”  Tsunade muttered, beckoning Fujin to sit down on the examination table. She carefully looked at his arm and the scarring that had gotten there.  Naegi’s healing had done wonders, but there were still some rough markings after where the burn had been. 

“I see that  Naegi has healed you,” she said. “Your arm seems fine because of that,” 

“He didn’t heal it immediately, I think it took maybe two hours or so before he got to me,” Fujin explained.  Tsunade stared at him.

“How exactly did you end up with this?” She asked. Fujin looked at the ground.

“I have been working on teleportation seals,” Fujin explained. “I did one unsupervised – perhaps from  Uzu to Konoha, mind you,” 

“Stupid. Go on,” 

“Well, when I teleported I  kinda lost the arm in the warp,” Fujin explained. “A horrible experience, really,”  Tsunade sighed deeply in response, rubbing her forehead.

“I assume your parents doesn’t know,”  Tsunade said. Fujin nodded sheepishly, gaining another exasperated sigh.  Tsunade turned around to her desk, picking up the phone. She waited for someone to pick up on the other end. 

“Yeah, hello, Sakura,”  Tsunade said. Fujin paled.  Ohhh no. “I have your son here, missing an arm,” 

-

It did not take long until Sakura and  Ryuusuke entered  Tsunade’s office.  Ryuusuke looked worried, and he immediately hurried over to Fujin, running his hands over Fujin’s body while checking for injuries other than the missing arm. He looked at Fujin with wide eyes, and a pang of guilt shot through Fujin’s chest.

What was he doing to them?

Sakura walked over to them with a frown. She looked angry, and Fujin had to admit that it was rather scary as well. Of all things he had experienced, his mother was some of the most nerve-wrecking things in his life.

“Explain yourself,” Sakura said. She sounded angry, but there was a deep worry in her voice as well. 

“I messed up with a seal. I have a beacon seal here in Konoha, and I decided to use this one rather than creating a new one. I overestimated my abilities and my arm got lost in the process,” Fujin stated.  Ryuusuke frowned slightly at this. He grabbed Fujin’s hand, holding it tenderly. 

“We’re not angry with you,”  Ryuusuke said. “This is not an interrogation,”

“We’re upset,” Sakura stated. “You should never have done this on your own. You hurt yourself! Imagine what would had happened if no one had found you? Why didn’t you call your father immediately?” She said, crouching down next to them. 

“Sakura,”  Ryuusuke murmured. “He’s upset too,” he said. Sakura sighed, moving up to Fujin. She pushed their foreheads together, lacing her hand with Fujin’s hair. 

“I can’t lose you again,” Sakura whispered. “You understand that, right?” 

Fujin nodded slowly, breathing in. 

“I’m sorry,” Fujin said. “I should’ve handled it better,” he looked up at his father, holding his gaze. It was comforting to look into his father’s eyes. The strong blue colour radiated with love and reassurance; it was like looking at home. The warmth and security, it was all in his father’s eyes.

“You have hopefully learnt your lesson,”  Ryuusuke said calmly. Fujin nodded. 

“Regardless of lessons learnt, we need to discuss what we’re going to do,” Tsunade stated. “I’ve managed to perfect  H ashirama ’s cells in terms of prosthetics, so you’re not going to lose functionality of your arm. It’ll take some to train and get used to, but  Yachi has been working with some ninja tech to help it work with your chakra system. It’ll have a pretty long healing time though,” Tsunade paused, handing Fujin a small folder. “That has all the information on the prosthetic. I will have to improve it a bit further to let it handle the  kyuubi chakra properly,” Tsunade added. 

“ Kurama says that he can fix it, somehow,” Ryuusuke cut in. Fujin turned to look at him. 

“I don’t really understand the specifics,” Ryuusuke continued. “But he says that he can deal with strengthening it necessary for Fujin’s power, but that too will take some adaption,” he explained. Tsunade nodded, seemingly willing to accept whatever it was the tailed beast had proposed.

“We can put it on now. You’ll need to work with it, but luckily for us, the timing is weirdly impeccable. You should be back in full health around the  genin exam. Is your  left your dominant hand?” Tsunade asked.

“I’m ambidextrous. So is Saku and Naegi,” Fujin replied. Tsunade hummed.

“Then you shouldn’t experience any issues with writing and that sort of thing. The prosthetic won’t be done before half a year, give or take. But it’ll be our best so far, I believe. In the meantime, I’d suggest training and getting used to having one hand, so that if something ever goes wrong on missions or something similar, you’ll have no issues fighting as you should,” Tsunade explained.

“We’ve already trained to have missing limbs or  senses, however I suppose that the limb actually missing does affect balance and jumps,” Fujin said. He wasn’t exactly used to tying the limb behind his back. They just rendered it useless with a seal. That itself didn’t affect the way their weight was distributed or something like that. 

“I’ll just take your measurements and you can be on your way,” Tsunade said. Fujin watched as he rummaged through some of her drawers before she began doing measurements of his arm and such. 

\-----

Being a sudden cripple was not something Fujin had  actually accounted for. At  first he was heavily focused on exactly how it would affect his day to day life. He was beginning to get used to it after a couple of weeks, but he was still struggling with simple things like putting his clothes on or putting his shoes on, preparing breakfast, that sort of things. 

Haru had thought it would help him beat Fujin. 

He was wrong.

There was complete radio silence from Danzo and Orochimaru. Fujin knew that Danzo knew he was alive. He might have kept it secret from Orochimaru, which would leave the snake wondering for a bit. But it was certain that he had other spies, and so his survival was not a secret at all. 

There was another  chuunin exam around this time. It was hosted in the hidden Cloud that year.  Ryuusuke and  Akahiko had to go, so instead Fujin and Saku had an extensive training camp for medical  jutsu .  Naegi too, not that he really needed it. 

And so, the  months passed rather quickly. The prosthetic got on, and it looked rather like a completely normal arm. You wouldn’t be able to tell the difference at all. Fujin barely noticed it anymore, even though the lack of his arm was a reminder. He couldn’t quite forget it. 

However, his one year distance from Konoha was put to a sudden halt when his mother suddenly squealed in the house. 

“Boys! Get your things! We have to go to Konoha!” She shouted. Fujin jumped from his bed, sliding up his door and  seeing Sora peeking out at the same time. 

“What is it?” Sora asked loudly, looking at Fujin with a confused expression. Fujin shrugged.

“The baby’s coming!” Sakura shouted again. Fujin and Sora blinked at each other. Once. Then twice.

“Aunt Eon!” Fujin suddenly exclaimed, pointing at Sora. Sora gaped, pointing back at him before the two of them both ran back into their rooms to get the basic things they needed for the trip.

“Ryuu! Get your ass out of that office right now! Your teammate needs you!” Sakura yelled again. 

“I’m coming!” Ryuusuke shouted back. Fujin heard Sakura yelp in surpirse. Then, Ryuusuke appeared in Fujin’s room. 

“Have your things? Good.” He grabbed Fujin’s shoulder, teleporting him to the large seal in directly linked to  Uzu . Ryuusuke disappeared again, and then reappeared, every time with a new family member.  Soon enough, they were all there. 

“Alright, let’s go!” Ryuusuke said. A wave of condensed chakra sprung out of his palm, the seal glowing before the entire family was warped through. 

The seal corresponding was a bit too far from Konoha than what his mother seemed to like. She had Umi in her arms as she began sprinting up to the rooftops. 

Fun fact: You usually don’t take your toddler on a stroll through the sky. It isn’t seen as a safe way of transport.

Despite this, the rest of the family followed. As they sped towards the hospital, Fujin moved to his father side.

“Are you sure leaving  Uzu so suddenly is clever?” He asked. Ryuusuke chuckled.

“Probably not, but I left your grandfather to tell  Itachi what’s up, so that he’ll deal with whatever shows up,” Ryuusuke explained. Fujin hummed.

They gathered in the hospital reception, and the receptionist looked at them with wide eyes. Apparently, it wasn’t that normal to see the Uzukage and his entire family appear suddenly. She shouldn’t've been surprised, as of course when Eon went to labour her former teammates would show, and their extended family. 

Sakura all but marched towards Eon’s hospital room. 

Despite the two of them not having had the best relationship back when they first became a team, there was not a single medic Eon trusted more than Sakura. There was not a question if Sakura should be there during the birth. 

The rest was told to sit outside, meaning everyone but  Yachi and Sakura. 

“ Ryuu !” Yuki exclaimed as she came running over to them. Behind her,  Ao and Kousuke walked a bit further back.

“Yuki!” Ryuusuke grinned. Yuki gave him a hug, and Ryuusuke lifted her slightly  of the ground as they hugged tightly. Fujin was a bit amazed of how close they were, but he shouldn’t really be surprised either. He was just as close to Saku and Naegi. Speaking of them...

Two blurs rushed past Ryuusuke and Yuki’s hug, barrelling into Fujin and sending them all crashing into the ground. 

“Alright, no need to kill me,” Fujin coughed. “Why do you always do this?”

“To try and stop you from leaving all the time,” Saku huffed. She and  Naegi got off Fujin, helping him up on his feet again.  Naegi held his prosthetic hand carefully, almost as if he felt like he had personally teared off his arm. 

“This is not the day to feel guilty about that,” Fujin stated. He placed a hand on Saku’s shoulder. 

“You’re going to be a big sister! How do you feel?” He asked with a smile. Saku grinned.

“I have no idea! But it is definitely a feeling!” She said happily. Naegi scoffed.

“That’s a detailed answer,” he said dryly. Saku shrugged, getting on to giving all the other relatives present big hugs.  Ryuusuke seemed to enjoy lifting her off the ground, and spinning her, and she seemed just as thrilled about it. Fujin smiled. It was nice to see her acting sort of like a kid. Despite the fact that she could probably shut off every chakra point in his father’s body.

He bumped his shoulder against Naegi’s. 

“How has things been?” He asked. Naegi shrugged.

“Things have been alright,” he said. “It would be better if you were here though,” he pointed out. Fujin chuckled.

“As soon as the year passes. I need this training. I’ve managed to convince Grandpa to start prepping me for the Flying Thunder God  jutsu . Given me all sorts of tests in  fuinjutsu and space time ninjutsu, in addition to a  heckload of physical exercises. Apparently,  _ I’m  _ too slow,” Fujin said. 

“It is a very dangerous  jutsu ,”  Naegi pointed out. “Don’t want you to lose another arm to the warp,” he chuckled. Fujin stuck out a tongue at him. 

“Saku and I have been to a few sleepovers with our classmates. Saku seems to enjoy them a lot, so prepare yourself for when you come back,”  Naegi said. “She’ll probably want us to host once we have figured out what to do with the attic,” he continued, eyeing Fujin carefully. 

“I’ll figure something out,” Fujin said. “For now, just keep the mess  there out of sight,” 

“Yeah, you don’t need to tell me twice. Saku likes being up there though. She’s connected deeply to the place,” 

“I know. That’s why I readied it for her,” Fujin replied. “I should’ve done something sooner,” he said.  Naegi shook his head.

They refrained from the topic afterwards, sticking to the usual banter between them and their siblings. Turns out childbirth took a lot longer than any of the kids anticipated. Eventually, even Akahiko, Riko and Shizuaki showed up from their latest mission. Despite Akahiko preferring by far to be in  Uzu , their international team deal had them posted in one of the villages for four months at a time, the only exception being if they were requested by the client or if their  particular skillset was needed. 

Eventually, Sakura came out with the biggest grin on her face. 

“Shizuaki, Saku, come in first,” Sakura said softly. Fujin watched as the two siblings hurried into the room, and through the gap of the door he could see  Yachi kneeling by Eon’s bedside, crying while grinning widely. His hand looked bruised though. 

Soon, the rest of them  were allowed to slowly filter into the room. There was a reason why Tsunade had gotten Eon placed in one of the biggest rooms they had available, knowing exactly how many were going to try and force their way in. It got  pretty full . Fujin and  Naegi both hovered around Saku, while Ryuusuke, Yuki and Sakura all took their place around Eon’s bed, saying hi to the little one that was now staring up at everyone with wide  eyes .

Eon looked exhausted, to say the least. Fujin had never seen her look so relieved and tired at the same time. Perhaps when they escaped from  Orochimaru , but there was one major difference. Right now, she was elated. Happy beyond compare. Was it that she was glad that the birth was over? Because the baby was here? Fujin figured that it was a mix of it all, but perhaps most of all that they were all here. Everyone. No one had thought that they would be everyone again after Saku, Fujin and  Naegi disappeared all those years ago. But they are. And it felt good, even to Fujin.

Eventually the three of them were ushered forwards to greet the baby. Fujin looked down at this frail being and realized exactly how much he would do to protect this. He glanced at Saku and  Naegi , who seemed to have similar thoughts. They knew that  Orochimaru still posed a threat, and Fujin knew that Danzo was kind of way too horny for the  Sharingan than what he liked. They had to protect their family. 

“His name is  Nagito ,” Eon said with a smile. “Get ready for the D-rank babysitting missions,” she joked, a mischievous twinkle in the corner of her eye.

“As if you’ll let him out of your sight, Eon,” Ryuusuke chuckled. Eon rolled her eyes.

“Unlike you, some of us have work that isn’t related to paperwork and delegating to do,” she stated. Ryuusuke gasped dramatically, a hand on his chest.

“How dare you? I also go to meetings!”

\-----

The year finally passed.

Now  Fujin was standing on the train platform. His bags were packed. Haru, Natsu and the rest of his family were all standing there. 

“One year at the academy in Konoha,” Haru said, frowning slightly. “Your way above their skill level,” he looked at Fujin. There was a certain fire in his eyes. Haru was his self-proclaimed rival, after all. Fujin could see it. The drive. The fire to progress. Nothing  like the desperation found in the pit.

“I just hate your guts too much,” Fujin joked. Haru glared at him, but it was all fun and games. 

The train came rushing towards the station, coming to a smooth stop. Haru and Natsu stepped away while Ryuusuke and Sakura stepped forward. 

“Be good. I know that the academy can be very busy, and I know you like your training. There won’t be any weekends back here for some time,” Sakura said softly. 

“I’m always good,” Fujin said with a chuckle.  Ryuusuke ruffled his hair affectionately. 

“As good as you want to be,” Ryuusuke commented. Fujin shrugged. Wasn’t that the deal with anyone? He supposed he had a tendency to break rules more than others.   
  
“I should go,” Fujin said. Ryuusuke nodded, lifting his fist towards Fujin. Fujin smiled, bumping his own fist against Ryuusuke’s. He didn’t offer any big farewells after that, he simply gathered his things and stepped onto the train. 

The train wasn’t empty. It was one of the earliest trains that brought with them a lot of tourists, merchants and ninjas going on missions. Fujin found himself by a window seat, making sure that his real arm was tucked between him and the window. 

They had made his arm have a sort of... safety lock, so to speak. At least until they were certain he wouldn’t accidentally hurt anyone. He was still jumpy. Still  had a tendency to reach for a kunai when there was no danger nearby. His prosthetic’s reaction time was  every a bit slower. If you threw a ball at him, it would hit him in the face and then his arm would go up in a perfect catching motion. This could be turned off in combat situations however, but it allowed Fujin to stop a movement that was unwanted. From his left arm, at least. 

He was due at the academy in one hour. 

His train would be at the station in twenty.

Saku and  Naegi would meet him there, and they would go to  Ichiraku’s for breakfast while Fujin sent a shadow clone home with his things.

He listed the things to do in his head to lower the anxiety that was slowly growing. What if he proved himself too dangerous? What if Danzo contacted him again and made it all start up? It wasn’t unlikely, now that he was back in Konoha full time. 

He was a traitor to Saku and  Naegi , and to himself. Not to mention his family,  Uzu and Konoha.

A terrifying prospect, but not the only problem in his head. The academy itself, while not terrifying in any way, brought up a lot of smaller issues. If he hurt someone there, he would never gain the village’s trust. At least not publicly. The public’s opinion was also one to bear in mind. 

He shook his head. He could go on with his list of all that could go wrong for hours if he wanted to, but  it didn’t do any good. 

He leaned his head against the window, closing his eyes as he let himself focus on simply just breathing. It was an attempt to keep his worrisome mind away, but not always that successful.

It didn’t feel like too long before he arrived at Konoha’s station. The mass of people began moving around the train, itching to get out and into some fresh air. Konoha was very warm, but not the same kind of warm as Uzu. It basically let you wear whatever you wanted the entire year, except for the winter.

Uzu was  pretty tropical , and the heat could be near unbearable in the hottest summer, but you had the sea breeze, and the coolness that came with it. There was also a much larger number of storms than what Konoha had. 

Konoha’s weather was  pretty stable . The summer held  the majority of the year, the rest of the seasons maybe holding a quarter of it rather than more than half.  Uzu didn’t have any seasons, just bad weather. 

Konoha could give  Suna a run for its money when it came to hot summers, not in the temperature department alone, but the fact that there was barely any wind. At least Konoha had a whole lot of trees to give you shade. But it was rare that such a heat wave hit the village. 

And once Fujin had really appreciated the different weather, he was crashed into. His bag left in its place as he was pushed to the ground by two idiots. They were his idiots, but still, idiots.

“Finally!” Saku exclaimed. Fujin let out a groan, pushing the two off him as he rolled over to his s tomach before pushing himself from the ground. 

“You know you could just say hi like normal people, right?” Fujin said, but he was smiling, which did ruin the tone of ‘why are you acting like dumbasses’ and more like ‘your insufferable, I love it’.

“Nope,” Saku replied simply.  Naegi placed a hand on Fujin’s shoulder, drawing Fujin’s attention to him.

“It’s been horrible without you, Saku’s way too much for me to handle alone,” he said, sending a playful smile towards Saku. Saku replied by punching him on the shoulder.

“So, do you know what’ll happen today?” Fujin asked. Naegi shrugged.

“If the previous year is any example, we’ll do an evaluation. We’ve had a rather big summer break. Nothing huge, about three weeks, but it’s enough to make the academy check where we’re at,”  Naegi said. Saku groaned dramatically.

“They’re  gonna make me do  _ tests _ ,” she said, falling  forwards and crashing into Fujin’s chest, faking a deep sob. 

“Oh no,” Fujin replied dryly. He patted her back lightly, not really bothering to  actually attempt to comfort her. It wouldn’t really help. 

“Mean,” Saku pouted. 

Fujin offered a shrug as an answer. 

They didn’t linger at the station any longer, the three of them really being hungry for breakfast and the time they had before the academy was quickly diminishing. They made their way through Konoha to  Ichiraku’s . It wasn’t really their favourite spot, but it was still pretty good. Not to mention sort of nostalgic. Old man  Teuchi , who had been the owner when their parents were kids, had retired just a few years ago. His daughter Ayame still ran the place though, but it had gone from being a small roadside shop to a rather large chain of restaurants. The best one was the one that remained a small stand though. They didn’t have the heart to get rid of the place, though it had been renovated, and the building next to it had become an extension of the place.

They entered a booth in the corner of the restaurant, a waiter coming over soon to get their orders.

“So, are you excited?”  Naegi asked. Fujin looked at him for a second.

“Not really. I’m glad to be with you guys again, don’t get me wrong, but sitting behind a desk all day isn’t really my style,” Fujin said.  Naegi chuckled.

“We don’t only do that, you know,”  Naegi stated. “Shino-sensei will most likely give us another capture the flag lesson. If I’m to guess, written tests today in addition to a small round of  taijutsu tournament and aim. Maybe a rundown of  jutsu that we’re supposed to know. Tomorrow will most likely be a practical, to see application,”

“ Blablabla ,  _ TESTS,”  _ Saku exclaimed. She grimaced, nearly slamming her face into the table. “Why do I even need to know about  Hashirama’s personal life?!” She groaned. 

“I wouldn’t exist if that hadn’t happened,  ya know?” Fujin chuckled. Saku looked up at him, raising an eyebrow.

“ Wha -?” She asked.  Naegi didn’t look nearly as confused, but he was still surprised about Fujin bringing it up.

“I’ll put it as simply as I can,” Fujin said. “Hashirama married Uzumaki Mito, who was from  Uzu . She became the nine-tails'  jinchuuriki . When she got old,  Uzu sent my grandmother Kushina to take over after her, as the Uzumaki were better suited to be a  jinchuuriki for the  kyuubi . Not soon after,  Uzu was destroyed. If Hashirama hadn’t married Mito, it isn’t certain that she would stay in Konoha, or that the  kyuubi even was sealed in the first place. In short, completely changing the circumstances of my father’s life, and so mine,” Fujin explained. 

“Everything that happened in the past has had some sort of effect on today, so it’s important to know,”  Naegi added.

“Frankly,” Saku said. “I disagree,” she chuckled. “Like I get some  things, but knowing all the details isn’t necessary for what’s going to happen. It won’t change anything,” she said. Fujin shrugged.

“It depends all on how you look at it, but I suppose you’re not entirely wrong. Not all details are necessary. But Hashirama was our first  hokage , and his marriage to Mito laid the foundation of the alliance between Konoha and  Uzu , which did  in essence cause Uzu’s destruction,”

“That’s a bit drastic,”  Naegi commented. The waiter came by soon after he said so, placing their bowls down on the table. 

“It could have happened without the alliance,  Uzu was extremely powerful alone. But it was the fact that Konoha was the strongest village, and  Uzu as its ally made them near undefeatable. So, Kiri and Kumo attacked them,” Fujin explained.

“Fujin,” Saku said, her eyes very serious. “You’re such a good teacher compared to Shino. He goes on and on and on and on and on, and then I fall asleep,” 

“You just have the concentration span of a toddler,” Fujin joked. Saku pouted in reply, deciding to eat her food rather than attempt to reply. 

Fujin watched silently as they ate, of course, he didn’t not eat, but he watched them. It was good to be with them again. It was calmer. Safer. He kept an eye on the time, calculating exactly when they should leave to get to the academy. He had to be there a tiny bit earlier, to talk with the headmaster and his teacher – Shino, as he had known from Saku and  Naegi .

“How’s the arm, by the way?”  Naegi asked. He had asked the question a million times. Doing it for his own  certainty , as well as making sure he’d catch up on any malfunction.

“It’s fine. It’s been doing its job for the past months. Still not certain if I’m too used to it yet though. At least not in combat situations. I think I got a bit too used to fighting without it,” Fujin said.  Naegi hummed, seemingly pleased with the answer. 

“So, how’s he doing?” Fujin asked. Saku and  Naegi shared a glance.

“Living in the attic,” Saku replied. “He doesn’t dare to go down just in case someone will drop by suddenly, so we bring food up to him. He studies. Often asks for material to work with, books, scrolls, lots of stuff on seals and the Snake,” she continued. 

Fujin knew that Saku especially was worried about Arima. And while Fujin wasn’t nearly as concerned, he still felt somewhat responsible for the situation. 

“I want to find a solution, but I don’t know how to explain it to anyone. I don’t know if dad or  Obito will take well to saying welcome to one of  Orochimaru’s spies without making things extremely difficult,” Fujin said. That, and he did not want Danzo to get Arima under the same lock that he had on Fujin. 

“We should get going,”  Naegi stated. Fujin glanced at the clock again. They had more time. 

“Planning on walking?” he asked. Naegi nodded.

“Figured we should arrive like normal people, unless you really want to draw more attention to yourself?”  Naegi asked. Fujin winced slightly. 

“You’re right,” he said. They stood up, placing their bowls on top of each other and leaving behind the money for their meals. 

The road to the academy had already begun getting busy. The usual stall owners were setting up along the main road, in addition to  a number of chunin changing their shifts and making their way to the mission desk.

The academy was the mission desk, essentially. It was in the same building. Fujin wondered what would’ve happened if it was Konoha that had been levelled all those years ago,  taking into account that his father could’ve been there and not in  Uzu . Konoha was by far one of the... less renovated places. Or perhaps the hidden cloud could compete, they were very traditional, after all.

The only thing new about Konoha was the city on top of the  Hokage mountain. Other than that, Konoha was very much and old city. 

The other hidden villages had worked a lot on renovating their current village,  taking into account that not all of them had so much space to expand upon such as Konoha did. Hidden stone at least had the opportunity to just use their earth techniques to rebuild or fix certain buildings, and most of them expanded towards the sky rather than further outside of the original city gates. 

Regardless, the academy building, was an old building. However, it was used for theoretical classes or  taijutsu and simple aim practice for the younger students. Once you began really focusing on techniques, which was what their class level was on, all their examinations and practices took place in an advanced building in the new city. It had been built around half a year ago and was only accessible to the final year students. The previous students had been the one to test it, and it had showed immense results. 

In addition,  a number of new training grounds surrounded the New city. Including the one that  Naegi and Saku’s class used for the ‘capture the flag’ trainings. 

They entered the academy with about five minutes to spare. They were still a lot of loud banter coming from their  classroom, however it did not compare to the younger students. They entered their classroom, but their enter went largely unnoticed. A lot of their classmates were too busy catching up than to be bothered to notice them. 

The few that did notice, went over to them almost immediately. Or more precisely, to  Naegi and Saku. Fujin knew that they had made good friends, but it was something else to really see them interact with the others.

“Saku!” A voice exclaimed. Their attention was  drawn towards a green-clad boy.

“Tai Lee,” Saku said. Her demeanour somewhat changed, Fujin noticed. There was a seriousness to her, but not one that you would find in combat or sparring between Fujin and Naeg and her, but something else. 

“I challenge you!  Taijutsu tournament outside!” Tai Lee exclaimed loudly. Saku grinned, a fire burning in her eyes. 

“You’re on!”

“Saku, no.”  Naegi said almost tiredly. 

“Saku, yes!” Saku replied loudly. She sprinted out towards the hallway, Tai Lee hot on her heels. A good portion of their class followed them, and Fujin stared as  Naegi and the few friends that had remained with him,  Hitomi and Kenzo, began to slowly walk out after them, Kenzo and  Naegi both shaking their heads in unison. 

“Fujin,” a voice said. Fujin turned around, meeting the green eyes of a classmate. What was his name again? Nara something?

“Hi,” Fujin said as casually as he could. It was something that didn’t completely sound like a threat, but it was perhaps more serious than what was called for.

“My name’s Shikao, if you have forgotten. We haven’t seen each other since the tournament a few years ago,” Shikao said. Fujin’s brain supplied him with a hazy memory of him. He had nearly decided to break his arm. 

“I remember,” Fujin said. Shikao nodded, a small smile beginning to grow on his lips.

“Do you like Shogi?” He asked. Fujin shrugged. 

“I don’t really have the patience for it, but I don’t hate it,” Fujin replied. The two began to walk towards the training ground around the back of the academy as well, following the cheers of the coming battle.

“Right. You play any video games?” Shikao asked. Fujin shook his head. Shikao looked surprised, and with an almost horrified expression he placed his hand on Fujin’s shoulder.

“Come with me,” he said seriously. “You are in serious need of some god-sent entertainment,”

And so Shikao introduced Fujin to a game – a game which he had to buy afterwards, but he had a lot of money anyway. It was a fighting style game, where you worked with three other people to form a party and complete quests. Fujin learned the controls rather quickly, but he quickly got more and more into the game. He really wanted to defeat the boss. Through this game, he also got to know Shikao a lot better. They played with random people this time, but Shikao told him that Kenzo and Tai Lee also played the game and that they often played together, and that Fujin was just that fourth member they were missing. Choza didn’t like the game all that  much and preferred to watch and bring snacks that he could eat. 

By the time they had gotten through the round, the bell rang. They had stayed in the classroom, unlike their many classmates, who came scurrying back in through the door. 

Saku came in first, a big grin plastered on her face as she puffed out her chest. Behind her, Tai Lee walked in with some very dusty clothes and what looked like a bruise forming on his jaw. 

“Saku,” Fujin said with a small smile. “You’re not supposed to hurt the students,” he stood up from his seat, handing Shikao the game console. 

“I didn’t,” Saku sniggered. “He  _ fell _ ,” 

A series of substitute profanities escaped Tai Lee behind her. 

“Everyone, please find your seats,” Shino’s voice rang out.  Naegi grabbed a hold of Saku and Fujin, dragging the two of them to a row for themselves, now seated in front of Shikao. Fujin turned around shrugging as an excuse for being dragged off mid-game.

“As everyone can see, we have an addition to our class. Would you like to introduce yourself?” Shino asked. 

Fujin stared at him for a minute, very much tempted to say no when Saku shoved an elbow into his side. Fujin glared at her, not one with ill-intent, mind you, but a tiny  glare nonetheless. He stood up stiffly.

“My name is Namikaze Fujin,” Fujin said.

And then he sat down.

“Sensei! Isn’t Namikaze the name of the fourth hokage?” a student exclaimed. A civilian born, most likely. Fujin let his gaze wander over to her.

“He’s my grandfather,” Fujin replied before Shino could. The student stared at him, holding his gaze for less than a second before she spun her head towards Shino, who nodded silently. 

“Today we have evaluation day,” Shino said, louder and clearer than previously. “We’ll do quite a few things, so don’t slack off today. We don’t have time for it. Why? Because your tardiness is unbecoming of ninja to be, as well as the amount of things necessary to go through to arrange the curriculum is a lot, and we want to get as much done as we can today, so that we can spend tomorrow to make it so that all of it works out to the best of our abilities” he brought down a stack of paper.

“First thing, theoretical tests for ninja arts. After that it’s going to be for history, politics and geography,” Shino stated. He began handing out the papers. “Do your best,”

\---

“I can’t believe he made us do a  _ written test,” _ Saku moaned loudly. Slamming her head down on the desk as Shino collected the last of the papers.

“They’re important Saku,” Fujin stated.

“You should have studied,”  Naegi pointed out. Saku glared at them both, teary eyed while biting her bottom lip.

“ _ Betrayal _ ,” 

Shino clapped his hands to regain their attention. 

“Alright, time for practical tests. And then a  taijutsu tournament, and then an obstacle course, and then -” 

And then. And then. And then. And then.

At least they did their testing thoroughly, Fujin thought as Shino ushered them into the train. And he hadn’t murdered anyone either. That was always a bonus.

“Where are we going anyway?” Saku asked. 

“Remember I mentioned last year that we have gotten a new training area?” Shino asked. There was a chorus of murmurs and quiet yeses. “Well, we are going there. Why? Because it is the front of ninja tech that  let’s us practice to our best abilities and -” Shino explained. 

“Hah, maybe we actually get to fight something,” Fujin said.  Naegi and Saku looked at him with a slight fire in their eyes. They had always been a bit reluctant when it came to actually  fighting fighting , but this new facility really let them go all out. No collateral  damages . 

They arrived at the new facility not long after they got on the train. It wasn’t too far, and there was only one train going back and forth that particular route. 

It was a big building, slightly intimidating. It was supposed to withstand some rather hefty techniques after all. They entered through the main entrance, and quite quickly after their chatter reached the ears of the receptionist,  Yachi came running out from an office not far away.

“Test subjects! I mean students!”  Yachi exclaimed.

“Dad?” Saku asked. 

“Saku!”  Yachi grinned. 

“ Dr. Nara, we’re here to go through the evaluation sim, as we planned. Why? So that we can best measure the students’ abilities,” 

“Yes, yes, that’s right. Follow me, we have much to do,”  Yachi said. He led them to a big wardrobe. There was a sectional style to it. Each locker area had one locker, small bench and a mirror. They were closable with sliding doors, but otherwise separated by half walls. 

“There are clothes in the lockers, they’ve all been labelled with your names. This wardrobe belongs to your class for the year, as you are the only class able to use this facility right now,”  Yachi explained. “Please get changed, and then come back to the reception,”

And then  Yachi left them. The class quickly began to search for their lockers, which wasn’t exactly difficult considering it was in alphabetical order. It was simple clothing. A sleeveless turtleneck and shinobi pants, both coloured dark blue, very much like your standard  jonin and  chuunin uniform, minus the vest. 

There was also tape for those who needed to tape in the excess fabric, if they so desired. Fujin was one of those people, he hated when his pants flapped around, much preferring to have it as tight as he could. He,  Naegi and Saku were probably the fastest go get ready , as the others were mostly chatting while still being halfway undressed or barely getting the new clothes on. 

The three of them headed back to the reception, finding  Yachi and Shino talking right where they first had met Yachi. 

“Doesn’t surprise me that the three of you were first,”  Yachi said. “How are you Fujin, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you,” he said, moving over to the three. He grabbed Saku and pulled her into a hug with one arm, holding her there.

“I’m fine, uncle,” Fujin said, smiling slightly. “It’s a bit unusual to be out of  Uzu again, but I’m not complaining,” he added.  Yachi smiled back, ruffling Fujin’s hair affectionately. 

“It’s good to have you back, kid, these two can be insufferable without you,” he joked. 

“They’re still insufferable,” Fujin snorted. 

“Hey!”  Naegi exclaimed. Fujin laughed, not bothering to apologize.

“Anyway, the three of you can head into the room at the end of the hallway there. You’ll find four bracelets; they are for your arms and legs. There is also a headband. Put them on, and then you can help your classmates as they arrive,” Yachi said.

“Great,  responsibilities ,” Saku drawled.

The three of them did as told though, heading into the room. It was a rather long room, with a table that reached almost both ends. There were trays with the bracelets and headbands on them, one for each student.  In addition, a weapon pouch outfitted with both kunai and shuriken laid on it.

They found the trays with their name on them, putting on their equipment. It looked interesting, to say the least. Not soon after,  Hitomi and Kenzo walked into the room. 

“Find your name and put the bracelets on your arms and legs, headband on the head, pouch on your leg as standard ” Fujin explained briefly. Kenzo grimaced. He didn’t seem to like Fujin’s ‘authority’ style voice. Not to mention how thoroughly Kenzo had been beaten by  Naegi earlier.  Naegi wasn’t even the best  taijutsu user in their team. But he was so much better than the Hyuuga. 

As more students filtered into the room, more managed to get the message across, the responsibility didn’t really fall to Saku and them as they thought. 

Soon enough, all the students were ready, and Yachi came in. 

“Alright,  You are each going to pass through this hallway, where your chakra will be measured.  All of your test scores from earlier today have been sent in, believe it or not, and that has been taken into account. You’ll get a rank. This rank is classified by Shinobi rank, and D to S like missions are,”  Yachi explained. Only one person at a time, Shino will meet you at the other side,”  Yachi explained.

Out of the three, Fujin was the first to go through the tunnel. The ranks of each student weren’t announced to anyone but the student in question, something that Fujin was sort of grateful for. He felt like it was a bit like gloating, to have it announced.

It wasn’t really dark, but it was dimly lit by blue lamps. 

“Lights will now represent chakra reserves.” the robotic voice said.

“Wait-”

\--

Fujin left the hallway, rubbing his eyes. Shino looked at him  worridly , Fujin noticed through the blur that was now his eyesight. 

“What happened?” Shino asked quietly.

“You really thought it was a good idea to measure a  _ jiinchuuriki’s _ chakra reserves with  _ lights?!” _ Fujin hissed.

Shino stifled a laugh. He probably did take it very seriously, but Fujin was pretty red eyed from it. 

“It’ll pass soon,” Shino said, patting Fujin’s shoulder. 

His classmates , the few that were there, were all talking about what rank they had,  Kenzo in particular . He was  pretty proud , Fujin figured. Or rather, he had an important view on pride. Probably big on being the best or whatever. 

Fujin stood awkwardly where he was. Saku was after him, so he was hoping she would hurry up. It took five minutes or so to complete the scan and get the rank. 

“A D-rank  genin !” Kenzo said loudly. Or perhaps not much louder than usual, but at least now Fujin noticed what he was saying. Fujin scoffed. He should be  genin level at the minimum by now. He bet that most of the clan children was a D-rank  genin at the minimum. Or at least S-rank academy student. They had some time to improve still, after all.  Hitomi and Choza were the only people who didn’t seem to  boast. Fujin made his way over to them. 

“Fujin,”  Hitomi greeted. “How are you?” She asked. 

“I’m fine, slightly blind, but fine,” he said. 

“Blind?” Choza asked. Fujin nodded, shuffling a bit where he stood.

“I, uh, I have more chakra than your average person. I mean,  Naegi and Saku have more than usual too, but I have a  specifically big amount, call it genetics,” he did technically inherit the  kyuubi from his grandad. 

“Or maybe you have weak eyes,” Kenzo shot in. Fujin glanced at him, not really bothering to turn around to look at him.

“Right, ‘cos we’re not all  Hyuugas , is that it?” Fujin asked. Kenzo smirked. “Remind me again who was it that won the tournament?” Fujin asked. It had been Saku. Fujin and  Naegi had tied on their side in the  semi-final , but Fujin forgot about the ring limit and had stepped out of bounds. It wasn’t his fault that he was used to training with an environment to work with.

“Lucky shot,” Kenzo said darkly. 

“ Naegi could take you blindfolded.  Taijutsu isn’t even his strongest suit,” Fujin shot back. 

“Hey, guys, maybe chill out?” Choza asked. Fujin looked back at him, taking a deep breath before stepping back. 

“A cowardly move, a testament to your weakness. Tell me, what was your rank?”

Was he dumb?

“Rank has no meaning in combat. Just who get the killing shot first,” 

“Sounds like an excuse for a weak kid pretending to be stronger than he is,”

“Have you forgotten exactly what happened at the tournament, or do you just have selective memory?” Fujin asked, his patience running thin. He stalked over to Kenzo, getting all up in his face. 

“Prove it, coward,” Kenzo glared. 

“I have no intention of wasting my time with you,”

“Fujin!” Saku’s voice rang out. She sprinted over to him, pulling him away from Kenzo quickly.

“Chill out,” she said. Fujin glared at Kenzo. 

“He started it,”

“And you would definitely end it, but that’s not what you want to do, right?” Saku asked. Fujin then looked at her. He sighed.

“I guess,”

Saku helped Fujin and Kenzo to maintain a healthy distance. For Kenzo, anyway.

Eventually the rest of the class made their way out of the tunnel, and Yachic rounded them up.

“This is the spectator area,”  Yachi said. He snapped his fingers, and soon, some walls began moving upwards, revealing that they were in fact windows showing a  really big hall. Like. It was huge. It was a stadium.

“We will do matches based on rank, so that all of you get to understand your strengths and limitation in actual combat setting. You’ll be fighting famous shinobi who has agreed to submit their information to this simulation to the best of their abilities,”  Yachi explained.

“To save time, we’ll do matches based on your ranking. This will reveal to you your position in the class. This is not to discourage you, but to show you exactly what you training has done so far. If you are Academy class A rank or above, you are exactly where you are supposed to be. If you are lower than Genin class C rank, you are also in that good green zone. If you are lower than Academy A, that means you  have to work much harder this year if you want to pass the  genin exam,” Shino stated. 

They had a student lower than Academy class A rank. But it was just a B-rank, and that student had been ill quite some time. Most of their civilian born student were A rank, some S ranked. Though most of  Naegi and Saku’s friends, who were for the most part clan children, were all at Genin level D or C. To be fair, it was only  Hitomi who got C rank. 

And Fujin loved seeing Kenzo reel in anger because of it.

Naegi , Fujin and Saku all had the same rank. Because of alphabetical order, Fujin was the one who went first out of the three of them.

The arena seemed so much larger when you were in it than when you were standing in the spectator area. 

“Namikaze Fujin,” that same robotic voice rang out. “ Chuunin class,  A \- rank,” Fujin cringed slightly at that. At least Kenzo would get to be shamed for it. 

“Opponent; Uchiha Obito,”

Fujin froze slightly. The hokage?

The arena was coloured black, squares made by thin blue lines covering the entire place, when it was almost like the ground flipped over piece by piece, revealing a forest clearing. Fujin went over to a nearby tree, testing it and then a branch. It was scarily realistic, even down to the feeling of wood under his fingertrips.

A person emerged from the other side. It was not the grown up  Obito that Fujin knew. No, he was young. Perhaps sixteen or seventeen. A wide grin was plastered on his face.

“I’m  gonna defeat you,  ya know!” Young  Obito shouted. He threw a fist out towards Fujin. He was very... happy, Fujin noted. The young  Obito was wearing a  chuunin vest, though a bandana with the Uchiha clan mark was tied around his arm. 

Fujin retrieved a kunai from his pouch, settling into a combat pose.  Obito grinned at him,  sharingan suddenly blazing to life as he swiftly brought out a kunai. He almost vanished, reappearing in front of Fujin in a roundhouse kick position. Fujin prepared to block it when Obito grinned.

“Fooled  ya !” He shouted, twisting in a way that let his cocked back arm swing at Fujin. Hadn’t it been for Fujin’s quick reaction he would have gotten a hard blow to the head, instead it rammed into his right arm. 

Luckily, the twist didn’t allow  Obito any more movement as he was. Fujin twisted his blocking arm so that he could grab  Obito’s , swinging the teen away from him. Before  Obito landed, Fujin sped after him.  Obito smirked at him, quickly forming hand signs as he went through the air.

“ Firestyle : Fireball  jutsu !”  Obito exclaimed. A large fireball shot towards Fujin. Fujin leapt into the air, quickly forming his own handsigns. 

“ Windstyle : Great Breakthrough!” He said. A massive force of wind shot down towards the ground, but also lifting Fujin slightly up, so to delay his falling. Now he was in the air, which wasn’t necessarily the best.  Obito leaped towards him, spinning into a kick. Fujin put his arms in front of him to block, meeting  Obito’s kick straight on. Fujin shot towards the ground. 

Fujin quickly made five clones underneath him. Two caught his fall, while the three others formed different hand seals. 

A combination of wind, lightning and water shot up towards  Obito , who had attempted to follow Fujin to the ground. However, right before  Obito got blown to bits, a log took his place. 

Fujin  swiflty got to his legs, his shadow clones and he  standing back to back.

One popped, then another. 

Fujin swore, jumping away quickly. His remaining clones disappeared into smoke. 

He braced himself, noticing quickly when  Obito suddenly reappeared before him. The two engaged.  Obito was, for the lack of better  words, purely chaotic. His style wasn’t a style, but a mixture between a billion of them.  Sharingan having copied so many styles that he knew exactly which to use and when to use them, in addition to granting him the ability to predict what Fujin was going to do. Fujin frowned. He had to focus. This was an  opponent . And he would not lose. 

He activated the seal on his prosthetic, entering combat mode for it. No restriction there. He then quickly grabbed  Obito’s arm as he feinted a block, swinging the Uchiha away from him again. He closed his  eys , taking a deep breath. He had to  deactive the Sharingan. He hadn’t really been able to use seals in combat yet, but this was a simulation, so if the seal went wrong (be it not working or blowing the sim to bits) it didn’t matter.

As long as it didn’t blow up in his face.

He created around twenty clones, them splitting up and disappearing into the forest. Obito grinned.

“Are you finally going to do more than warm me up?” He asked. Fujin didn’t bother to reply. He took another deep breath. 

And then he shot forwards. Nearly  disappearing from view as he met  Obito with a chakra loaded punch. His prosthetic was  more sturdy than his actual arm, so it could take a hit like that. As  Obito realized what was happening, he quickly dodged out of the way, quickly falling into a paralysis seal.

Fujin grinned, running towards him with his palm outstretched, a seal glowing inside it. As his palm connected with  Obito’s forehead, the seal transferred and  Obito’s sharingan deactivated. Looks like  Obito hadn’t learned how to break free of these paralysis seals at this point in his career. 

However, Fujin had his clone release the seal, as at this moment he was caught in it too. Would not have been the best move to do in the actual field, but it was alright for now. 

But  Obito wasn’t done because of the  Sharingan being gone. He shot at Fujin with the same vigor.

“I have learned how to fight without the  Sharingan too you know, I’d never beat Kakashi if I had to rely on that,” 

Fujin knew that his best option was to attack  Obito from his blindside, his left, however,  Obito seemed overly good at protecting any attack from there. Fujin grinned. He formed another ten clones, five to attack  Obito head on while he and the rest jumped backwards. He and the clones bent down, beginning to draw a complex seal with chakra. 

Obito soon dispelled his clones and came rushing at him, but Fujin gave him a wild grin as he approached.

“I have always wanted to try this one,” he said.

“Sealing arts: Storm God’s domain,” 

The seal glowed a deep blue, when a bolt of lightning suddenly shot out and everywhere. Fujin rubbed his palm, now breathing heavily.  Obito halted in his step, and that alone was all that Fujin needed. He jumped up, a seal on his hand pulling the bolt of lightning to it as he threw the bolt at  Obito . He would have been able to dodge, but the clones hidden in the forest quickly used the great breakthrough  jutsu to hold him in place. The bolt hit as Fujin fell to the ground again, chakra exhaustion making his eyelids feel heavy, and his body lax. 

The dust cleared, revealing the shredded pieces of wood in  Obito’s place. Fujin’s eyes widened, he was looking around him quickly when a sudden chop to the neck knocked him out. 

-

Saku yelled in frustration as she saw Fujin go down. That had been the best match so far, and he just went down like  _ that?!  _

She looked at Naegi, clearly annoyed, meeting his somewhat surprised expression. 

“That seal, he must’ve made that while he was away,”  Naegi noted. Saku nodded, quickly sobering up from her frustration. 

“It might not be in the best condition at this point,” Saku noted. “At least not in one on one matches. And it even exhausted his chakra, there’s no way that it’s completed,” she added.

“Probably one of his  experimentals then. Maybe he thought that he would be able to test some things out here,”  Naegi said. Saku nodded in agreement.

“It could work if we fight all three of us, towards the end of a battle. Not multiple enemies, but one singular foe,”

They both knew who the  jutsu was intended for, looking at the deep, scorched crater left behind from a bolt of lightning hitting straight on. 

“Saku, it’s your turn,”  Yachi called out. Saku turned around, meeting her father’s gaze before nodding. Shino had hurried to take Fujin out and probably to a medbay. 

Saku headed down to the arena, the vast space almost intimidating as she attempted to focus. 

“Nara Saku.  Chuunin class,  A rank,” the voice said. “Opponent; Nara Eon,”

“Mom?!” Saku exclaimed almost angrily. And terrified. She didn’t want to fight her mom, that just didn’t feel right. 

Eon’s appearance showed, the arena around them turning into a rocky terrain. Lots of large rocks scattered around them, making the clarity of Saku’s vision difficult. Eon and Saku both activated their respective  doujutsu , Eon’s  sharingan versus Saku’s Byakusharingan. 

Saku was the first one to make a move. She dashed forwards, watching as Eon threw a barrage of kunai forward. She didn’t even aim for Saku, she just threw them around in the open areas. 

Saku jumped over a rock, seeing as Eon looked at her calmly. She pressed her fingers together.

“Shadow imitation technique,” Eon said calmly. Her shadow extended forwards, latching itself up to  each and every kunai quickly. Soon, the entire ground was black. Saku panicked, realizing quickly in her air position that she had nowhere to latch onto. Saku threw a kunai on the ground quickly, landing on top of it with one foot. She tried, to balance herself, but flailed too much. She almost fell when she charged her feet with chakra, boosting herself off the ground and towards one of the larger rocks. She quickly stuck herself to it, staring at Eon with wide eyes. 

Eon had already cancelled her technique, sending a large fireball towards Saku. Saku quickly used the replacement technique with a kunai that wasn’t connected to a shadow anymore, sighing as she saw the  stone she was on nearly melt from the heat of the fireball. 

Eon’s eyes twisted, a blackness filling what was white of her eyes. A shadow began creeping up around her arm, twisting until it looked nearly like a wing extending from it. The shadow grew from her feet, beginning to surround her as it slowly covered the entire arena. Despite it all being black, Saku could still see. Though it was getting very much darker than what she was comfortable with, and she could no longer spot her mother. Her chakra signature was everywhere. 

Saku quickly formed new handseals.

“Fire style: Phoenix Flower  jutsu !” She exclaimed. A barrage of small fireballs shot forwards in different directions. Hopefully she would hit something. Then, she felt cold steel at her neck as she suddenly felt her body freeze up. The shadows receded, quickly revealing Eon beside her, glowing red eyes with kunai at Saku’s neck. Their shadows connected. 

Then, the arena returned to its original state, Eon’s figure disappearing. Saku realized then that she as well, had lost. And she had lost quite  thoroughly . 

She returned to the spectator’s area, almost in shock. Naegi grinned at her.

“Dude, that looked awesome!” He said.

“I lost,” Saku stated. Naegi shrugged.

“You lost because you were at a heavy disadvantage,”  Naegi stated. “Like seriously, your strong suit is  taijutsu , and form what I remember about what my mom told me about your mom’s fighting style, is that her whole thing is never engaging in combat directly, only keeping long distance. Her  sharingan also gives her an advantage to that, as she can predict what you would do, where you would go. And she’s crazy smart,”  Naegi said. Saku nodded, a small smile beginning to grow.

“My mom’s pretty awesome, isn’t she?” Saku grinned.  Naegi nodded frequently. 

“And, since it was her you fight, you can train with her and learn how to counterattack!” He said, pumping his fist into the air. 

“Yeah!” Saku grinned. 

“ Naegi ! It’s your turn,”  Yachi said, slightly exasperated that they couldn’t just go to the arena when the other came up like their other classmates had done. They always had to analyse their combat. It wasn’t a bad habit, but it was using time. School was almost over, and they still had  Naegi’s match and to get them back to the academy. 

“Right!”  Naegi said, hurrying to the arena. 

“Uzumaki  Naegi .  Chuunin class,  A rank,” The voice sounded. Naegi felt himself shiver with anticipation. “Opponent; Sabaku no  Gaara ,” 

The arena shifted, the  chuunin exam arena replaced it. 

A young  Gaara was on the other side.  Naegi remember his mother mentioning that she had fought  Gaara at this very place, or what looked like it anyway, and that she had lost. Apparently, because of Eon and Ryuusuke she hadn’t been gravely injured, but it was their interruption that made it so. It had been the wakeup call for her, she had said. That she really had to become stronger. 

Naegi eyes almost glowed golden as he made numerous chains spring to life from his back, burrowing their way through the ground and around the place, making them pop up at random spots.  Gaara seemed unbothered, and as a chain went for the attack, a wall of sand rose up from the ground and blocked it. 

Gaara lifted his hand, a tentacle of sand slowly moving towards  Naegi .  Naegi disconnected the chains from his  back, but maintained them regardless. He began running around the  arean along its edges, watching as the sand slowly creeped closer. He then started to make kunai appear behind him as he ran, slowly circling the entire arena. 

Confident that he could attack, he shot towards  Gaara . Fist cocked back as kunai first shot towards his opponent. The wall of sand  surronded Gaara , and as it lowered,  Naegi was there, punching towards  Gaara . However, a tendril of sand shot forwards, smashing into  Naegi’s side. 

Naegi felt sand slowly creep up on him when he quickly made a chain appear out of his hand, quickly attaching itself to a nearby tree as he pulled himself away from  Gaara . The sand flew off him as he did so, freeing him. 

Gaara didn’t even seem worried to the slightest.  Naegi frowned, lifting his hand to create a rain of weapons. Large weapons. Like, ridiculously large kunai type weapons. He had them shoot down towards  Gaara , but the boy simply lifted his hand, a large platform of sand forming above him as it covered him from the rain. Like an umbrella,  Naegi thought irritatingly. 

Then,  Gaara shot the sand downwards with a small wave of his hand, before he used both arms and shoved them forwards.  Naegi stiffened slightly, before he quickly crouched down. A wall of golden chakra surrounded him as he heard the sand crashed into his orb. He enforced it as he felt his wall breaking, doing his best to not let any sand through. Eventually, the arena silenced itself, He used that moment to make the orb explode outwards, scattering sand everywhere as he jumped out. The sand had mostly gone back to  Gaara’s gourd.  Naegi huffed. The guy was as much as a tank as he was. 

Naegi once again created thousands of tiny weapons behind him shooting them forward.  Gaara’s cocoon of sand surrounded him once again.  Naegi stood still and stared intensely as  Gaara remained unaffected by his weapons. He then blinked. 

He carefully created a layer of golden chakra around  Gaara’s coccoon . Layering it upon layer. Before adding a few thick golden chains around it for good measure. He could almost feel the layer breaking and refuelling itself as it slowly drained  Naegi’s chakra. Not a lot. More like, one glass at a time out of a lake. Maybe not a big lake, but a small lake. 

Naegi walked over to the orb, knocking slightly on it.

“Surrender and I let you out?” He asked sort of politely. He looked up at the spectator’s area, watching as  Yachi and Shino talked a bit back and forth before they both shrugged. Then, the simulation disappeared. And Naegi let his chakra prison disappear as he headed back up.

“That must have been the most anti climatic way to end this battle,” Saku pointed out as she met him by the door.

“It worked?”  Naegi asked. Saku huffed.

“Barely,” Shino pointed out. “This would of course depend on the situation you were in. As this simulation went on the  chuunin exam style, this would have been cause of defeat. However, in solo combat alone in the field, it would have been difficult to say exactly how it would play out. As you all know,  Gaara is a  jinchuuriki and could go on a rampage, which wouldn’t have boded well for that kind of tactic. Though, for the sake of this simulation it is a pass, despite the unorthodox way you solved it,” Shino explained.

“I thought it was pretty well done,” Fujin’s voice rang out.  Naegi turned, seeing Fujin sitting in a chair by the window.

“You okay there?” Naegi asked teasingly.

“A bit winded, but glad my seal worked, despite its tax,” Fujin shrugged. “Upset that I lost I guess, but I should’ve figured that the replacement was the way to go. I should have restrained his chakra completely and not just his ocular system,” Fujin stated.  Naegi chuckled. 

“Good that you already have a plan for next time you’re going to fight the  hokage ,” he said. Fujin shrugged again, not really seeing how that was such a bad thing to plan for. He did hope they would go back to this simulation, after all. 

Shino clapped his hands. 

“We’re going to head back to the academy. Your results for today should be done. Everything here had been recorded and reported already, while your other tests for today should have been graded by Anko by now. We’re heading there, and let you have a look at them before we call it a day. Tomorrow, we’re going to plan a training regimen with every single one of you. Especially those of you who have not achieved Genin class. Our plan is to have you as close to Genin class rank C at this simulation at the end of the year,” Shino explained. The class gave out a chorus of complaints or agreements, depending. Those who were close felt confident,  Hitomi seemed sort of at ease, while Saku,  Naegi and Fujin exchanged glances with each other. What that meant for them, they weren’t certain. 

The class headed back to the train after changing back out of their clothes. Fujin was suddenly dragged off by Shikao again, seated next to him with Kenzo and Tai Lee. Kenzo and Fujin stared at each other with hard glares.

“Alright you two, sort it out, because if we’re going to beat someone at the tournament for this game you  gotta get your act together,” Shikao stated seriously. 

“Tell this arrogant prick that he have to remove the stick up his ass first,” Fujin stated.

“I do not have a stick up my ass!” Kenzo shouted back. 

“ Yo , Kenzo, chill,” Shikao said. “And Fujin, you don’t have to insult him,” 

“I insult him because he insulted me,” Fujin stated. He crossed his arms defiantly. 

“You were deserving of insults,”

“I’d beat you with my eyes closed,”

“I’d like to see you try,”

“Let’s do it then!” 

It was at this point Shino walked over to them, placing a hand on both Fujin and Kenzo’s shoulders.

“I think the two of you should spend some time together,” he said. 

No one really knows what happened after that. All people knew, was that Fujin and Kenzo was locked in a classroom at the academy. And then they came out bruised and battered, but leaning on each other as they wobbled to find Naegi. 

They became pretty close after that.


	12. Fujin tries to go on a peaceful walk

As the first day of the academy had ended, and Fujin finally got to go home for the first time in a year. There was something very comforting about being back at their little estate, and while he felt very much at home back in  Uzu , there was something much more personal here. He had more ties here, he supposed. Saku and Naegi were here. 

And Arima. 

Speaking of him, he hadn’t really moved from his place in the attic unless he absolutely had to. Fujin decided that he should at least pay him a visit, making his way up through the hallways of their home before finding the ladder up to the attic. 

He knocked carefully on the trapdoor, waiting until Arima opened it  cautiously . 

“Yo,” Fujin said, waving with two fingers. 

“Fujin, you’re back,” Arima said. He seemed almost... relieved? Fujin nodded in reply, climbing up into the attic as Arima lifted the trapdoor so that he could pass through.

“How has things been?” Fujin asked. Arima shrugged.

“Hiding in the attic isn’t the best, but it’s better than  Orochimaru’s ,” he replied. Fujin nodded, sitting down on one of the recliners Saku and  Naegi had smuggled up there. 

“There hasn’t been a summon from Danzo or anything either,” Fujin said. He supposed that something had happened there, but he didn’t like not being in the loop anyway. 

“You think they’ve given up on you?” Arima asked, sitting down next to Fujin. Fujin shook his head, shuffling slightly where he sat.

“I doubt it, but there are a lot of uncertainties. I want to get ears out if any prisoners made it when I broke you out of there, but I can’t do that without telling my father or the  hokage about me breaking you out,” Fujin said with a sigh. 

“And Saku and Naegi still don’t know the full story?” Arima asked. Fujin shook his head. 

“It’s better if they don’t know,” he said. “The fear that  Orochimaru can reach them here will be a major step back from all the progress that they have made. And the fact that I’ve been working for Danzo for... I don’t even remember how many years it has been now. Too long,” Fujin said. He clenched his fists, closing his eyes in frustration. 

“Fujin, it’s too much to ask yourself to shoulder all of this alone,” Arima stated solemnly. Fujin shook his head.

“This is my fault,” he said. Arima sighed, not bothering to try  convincing the other boy otherwise. 

The two sat in silence for a bit, before Fujin decided that he had to do some sparring. He had to keep in shape, after all. He was not going to slack off because he went to the academy. 

He headed to their little training ground behind the house after changing into his training clothes. He took a deep breath, sliding into a beginning kata before going through the set around the training ground. 

Katas helped improve your form in combat, but most of all, it helped you focus. It was peaceful, calming even. Despite practicing how to kick someone’s ass, it was a clear task, letting you forget everything else. 

And God did Fujin want to forget. 

He saw  Naegi and Saku watching him from the living room out of the corner of his eye, their worried gazes not unnoticed. He supposed it was only natural, but he was certain that his tension would ease itself eventually. Hopefully, anyway. 

Eventually,  Naegi decided that they were all going to order food, nearly dragging Fujin back into the house as they decided where to order from and what to order. Even Arima was forced down from the attic, despite his reluctance, and he made very sure that he was out of view from the entrances and windows. Fujin thought it made sense, but he still didn’t feel like it was fair. Arima didn’t... okay he did do something wrong, but he had made the choice to redeem himself, just like Fujin and the others. Why should he have to hide for it? 

Arima seemed much more at ease when he was eating with the other three than when he was in the attic, Fujin noticed quite quickly.  Actually, he seemed more at ease than what Fujin had seen him be ever. Perhaps the year living with Saku and  Naegi had softened him.

“So,” Fujin said, putting his fork down on his plate. “You want to host things here?” He asked Saku. Saku stared at him for a moment, offering a slow nod as a reply. 

“I think we should,” Fujin stated. He glanced towards Naegi, offering him a small smile. “I will have to get to know my classmates better. And I have managed to make at least a few... friends, if you can call it that, already,” Fujin continued. Saku grinned at him. 

“I saw you and Shikao play together, was it fun? You also sat with them on the train back the other day,” Saku asked. Fujin shrugged. 

“They’re cool,” he said. He paused for a minute. “How about we ask them here tomorrow?” He asked. Saku almost squealed in excitement. 

“I think that’s a yes,”  Naegi chuckled. 

Fujin then stood up. “Good. It’ll be fun,” he said. “I’m going to go check up on the security seals around the compound. Make sure they are all functioning as they should,” Fujin stated. It was a white lie, at best. He wanted to go see  Asuka again. It had been way too long, and she would probably be mad at him for not  really saying anything. 

“Okay,”  Naegi said slowly. “Don’t be out too long though. We  have to get up for the academy tomorrow as well,” 

“I know, I know,” Fujin chuckled. 

He created three shadow clones to go do the dishes for them, rather than leaving his housemates to the task. Outside, the sun was on the brink of disappearing behind the horizon, a strong reddish hue colouring the area. Fujin headed into the forest, inching along the border between the compound and what had at some point been the Uchiha compound. 

The Uchiha’s residences was still abandoned for the most part. The history there too strong to have anyone willing to move in there. The only person Fujin knew who lived there, was  Asuka . And probably her parents.

Fujin had a tiny idea of who she was, because he had briefly talked to his father’s advisor Uchiha  Itachi once when he was still in  Uzu , who mentioned that his little brother lived in Konoha.  Sasuke , was his name. His father said that they were friends when Fujin asked later that day. 

So  Asuka was most likely the daughter of Uchiha  Sasuke . The only Uchiha of their generation. Unless you counted Saku, as she and Eon were honorary members of the clan according to the  Hokage . 

He jumped into the trees, swinging himself from the branches to up his travel speed to where he remembered  Asuka’s window to be. 

There didn’t seem to be anyone there when he arrived. Fujin frowned.  Asuka didn’t ever go anywhere as far as he knew. Perhaps she was just away for food. He sat down on the branch he was on, resting his back against the trunk of the tree. He crossed his legs, letting himself fall into a meditative stance. 

Fujin had discovered during his training that his chakra points were under massive strain. While he could still perform  jutsu , they were a lot less powerful than what they could be, and always posed a little risk for overworking if he tried too much.  This is why he had to meditate more than he used to. Letting his flow of chakra slowly increase and decrease to expand the points, letting his chakra flow better. At least the artificial chakra points made for his prosthetic were not having the same issue. They were made specifically for handling his massive chakra reserves. The rest of his points were forced open by the sealing of the Kyuubi, and while he was beginning to adapt to it, his chakra points were still weak. 

Fujin knew that being a  jinchuuriki granted him massive boosts. But it was a burden, one that had been unwanted and forced upon him by the man who had already done so much harm. It made him shudder to think of what could have happened if they hadn’t escaped when they did. 

A sound of glass breaking snapped Fujin out from his thinking. He jumped to his feet, unsealing a kunai from his wrist. He scanned the area. He didn’t see anything immediately, but then,  Asuka came rushing through the door to her room, slamming the door behind her and doing her best to block it. Fujin saw the door going through some pretty hard punishment from the other side. Fujin sighed. He knew there was a security barrier around this compound. He would get in so much trouble for this. 

He charged chakra to his feet, shooting through the window and crashing through. He grabbed Asuka’s hand.

“Follow me,” he said.  Asuka stared at him with wide eyes. Fujin created three shadow clones to take her place by the door, allowing her to run after Fujin. He quickly remembered that  Asuka didn’t have any ninja training. He  swiftly lifted her up, jumping out of the window and onto the branch. The door behind him smashed open, and he saw a couple of ANBU agents. Only they were unmarked. They weren’t Konoha ANBU. They were ROOT.

He cursed, speeding away from  Asuka’s house. Not towards his own, because that would be more problems than what he liked. Perhaps he could ask Arima for back up. He knew about ROOT. He did not want to involve Saku or  Naegi . This wouldn’t help them. 

He would have to kill the agents. And he would have to do it within the compound’s forest. Because he could not leave Konoha, and he couldn’t bring them out into the open. 

But perhaps he could bring  Asuka to the  hokage ? He could make a case with that. He could finish off the attackers on his own regardless, but then not having to hide what happened. Though he couldn’t reveal them to be ROOT agents. If ROOT was... well, unrooted, so would he. 

“ Asuka ,” Fujin said quietly. “I’m going to take you to the  Hokage ,” Fujin said.  Asuka nodded stiffly. She seemed to  shocked to make a coherent reply with her voice. He landed on the ground, letting her step out of his arms carefully. He couldn’t protect her properly if he had his arms full. Clones could only do so much. They were most likely attempting to kidnap her, not kill. The  sharingan was too valuable for Danzo. 

The sounds of kunai piercing the air alerted Fujin, and he quickly pushed  Asuka to the ground. A kunai lodged itself into his shoulder. He hissed in pain. How did he always end up in these situations? Three ROOT agents were standing on branches around the clearing Fujin and Asuka found themselves in.

“Stand down,” one of the ROOT agents said. Fujin knew that they were referring to him. He was in all sense but emotional, their comrade. Normally, any ROOT agent would allow this to happen. But not Fujin. And he would kill them before they ratted him out. 

Fujin stood to his feet, and Amika did as well behind him. Ripped the kunai out of his shoulder, putting the handle in his mouth before outstretching the not-wounded hand in front of Amika.

The ROOT agent seemed annoyed behind the mask. And Fujin felt the anger within him grow. These people needed to die. The kyuubi chakra seemed to grow stronger within him. 

He had memories of his shadow clones being dispelled. These people were strong, good to exploit weaknesses. They could be  jonin level, for all Fujin knew. He could be outclassed. 

He frowned. He would not let anything happen to Asuka. It would have been a lot easier if she had training though. Who thought leaving the youngest Uchiha defenceless was a good idea anyway? 

Fujin created four shadow clones. Two to guard Asuka, and two to take out and opponent each. At least Fujin hoped so. 

He stepped forward, the clones taking  Asuka further away. He let the kunai fall into his hand. 

“I would say that I would let you live if you stand down, but I can’t afford you to report to Danzo,” Fujin stated. He sped forward, pumping chakra to his feet to jump up at one of the ANBU. His clones intercepted the other two that was going to attempt to stop him from charging at their comrade. Fujin slashed at his opponent, who blocked with his own kunai. Fujin snarled, pushing lightning chakra into his kunai and through his opponents, shocking the other agent’s hand. The agent jumped back, but Fujin sped after him. A relentless flurry of attacks easily blocked by his opponent. It was frustrating, to say the least. 

A harsh kick to Fujin’s abdomen sent him flying backwards. Fujin was quick to twist around, catching himself on his four. 

“Wind style: Great breakthrough!” Fujin exclaimed, sending a massive force of wind towards his opponent. He prepared a paralysing seal in one of his hands, speeding forward the ROOT agent who had was currently being flung backwards. He was also quick to recover, however, the moment he let Fujin engage in close combat was the moment he ended for him. One could easily break away from paralysing seals given enough time, but Fujin wasted not even a second to slit the man’s throat. 

His clones were not having an easy time, managing not to be dispelled, but not really doing any real damage either. Fujin frowned. This battle was taking too long. There was  definitely other ninja on the way.

Fujin grabbed the ROOT  nin’s mask, sealing it away into a storage scroll he had on him. He suppressed his own signature, sneaking up on one of the other ROOT agents carefully. The moment his clone had him slightly pinned, Fujin struck at the man through his throat with his kunai. He was about to take the mask off the man when he was suddenly grabbed by a piece of... wood?

He was thrown to the side, and when he quickly looked towards where he was, he saw the third ROOT agent having attempted to strike at him, now impaled with several pieces of shrapnel made of wood. Fujin turned to the other side of the clearing, seeing Arima stand there with a hard glare. 

“Arima,” Fujin said, relieved. 

“Fujin, you were going for a walk,” Arima stated.

“I was. And then I had to stop a kidnapping,” Fujin said. Arima raised his eyebrows.

“A kidnapping?” He asked. Fujin’s clones brought  Asuka back into the clearing. She looked green, and very disturbed by the scene in front of her. A pair of red eyes now replacing her blue ones, single tomoe in each eye spinning slowly. 

“Yikes,” Fujin muttered under his breath. He knew the  sharingan had photographic memory. This would stay for a while. 

“Let’s go back,” Arima pressed. Fujin shook his head. He ran over to the bodies, retrieving their masks before  sealing them into his scroll. He then burned the scroll for good measure.

“I’m taking her, and you, to the hokage,” Fujin stated. Arima took a step back, his eyes narrowing.

“I helped you! Why would you have me arrested!” Arima shouted.

“I’m not! We can use this to our advantage to have you become an official Konoha citizen,” Fujin replied. He created a shadow clone, which quickly ran towards home.

“The clone will explain the story to Saku and Naegi, what they need to know, anyway. Trust me,” Fujin explained.

“Trust you?” Arima scoffed. “You lie constantly to Saku. To Naegi. The two of them have done nothing to deserve nothing but the truth from you, and yet you lie,” Arima stated.

“I do that to protect them,” Fujin snarled.

“You do it to protect yourself. Because you are ashamed for working for  Orochimaru and Danzo,” Arima shot back.

“I have no choice! They will take Saku and Naegi if I don’t obey,” 

“And why not tell the hokage?!”

“Because he isn’t all powerful!” Fujin almost roared back at Arima. “We were taken, right here in this village. With all the  kage present, with a whole bunch of  ninja more than ever in one place. He got in, he took us, and he left, completely undetected. I have no faith that he system they currently have is enough,” Fujin shouted. 

“And then why bring me here?” Arima exclaimed, clearly stressed. Fujin rolled his eyes.

“So that you can be with Saku. So that you are not with  Orochimaru . You are safer with us! We are safer together! If it comes out that I worked for Danzo, Saku and  Naegi will hate me. We will separate. And we will all be weak,” Fujin stated. 

He stalked over to Arima’s side.

“The moment I have slit both Danzo and  Orochimaru’s throat, I’ll tell them everything and admit to my crimes. But for now, I need them to have the happiest life they can lead without  taining them with the darkness that I have with me,” Fujin  almot pleaded. Arima frowned. But Fujin could see that he wavered.

“They need to be protected,” Arima said quietly. “Especially Saku,” Fujin heard him muttered under his breath. Perhaps it was meant as a thought, something personal. 

“And we will. Together,” Fujin pressed. “By letting you into Konoha legally, you don’t have to stay in the compound. You’ll have much more access, and you won’t be imprisoned should you have to leave,” Fujin said.

Asuka , was luckily far enough away to not catch their entire conversation. But enough to look very confused.

“I’ll explain to you later,” Fujin said softly. “It’s... a very complicated story. And I can’t tell you everything, for the sake of everyone,” Fujin added. 

They began to walk towards the  hokage , when four ANBU showed up around them. Actual ANBU, this time. 

“We’ll go to the  hokage ,” Fujin said. The ANBU nodded, each of them grabbing a hand on each kid’s shoulder, teleporting them away with the body flicker. 

They appeared in the  Hokage’s office.  Obito looked... tired, to say the least. Exhausted even. 

“Fujin,”  Obito greeted. “I feel like there is a lot going on with you lately,” he said. Fujin shrugged. 

“Genetic bad luck?” He asked. Obito scoffed.

“You can say that again,” he muttered. He looked at  Asuka and Arima. 

“ Asuka , good evening. Or rather it wasn’t, by the looks of things,”  Obito said with a small smile. He then locked eyes with Arima.

“Fujin?” He asked. Fujin took a step forward, straightening his back. It was a report pose. Both Fujin, and  Obito knew that he took the order like he would’ve a few years ago.

“This is Arima. He was one of  Orochimaru’s experiments. He managed to escape during one of his missions that went wrong a few weeks ago. He came here, because he knew me, Saku and  Naegi . We kept him under observation to make sure he wasn’t willing to betray us. And trust me, I would know if he would. He is one year older than me, but I was present during many of his trials and reports with  Orochimaru . I can tell if he’s lying or not. Besides, no one at  Orochimaru’s is completely loyal, at least not of the experiments,” Fujin stated. “This evening, I was on my way to talk to  Asuka . We met shortly after we moved into the compound. I saw her being attacked by unknown shinobi, decided that I would have to do something. I was outmatched in both numbers and skill, and with  Asuka not having any formal training, we would most likely both have died if not for Arima’s intervention,” Fujin reported. “We then were on our way here, because, no offense, but I have some complaints,” Fujin added. Obito raised an eyebrow.

“ Asuka is an Uchiha. The youngest of her line, and in any normal sense, would have already been in the academy and ready to graduate with the rest of us next year. I understand there is some issues with the  Uchihas , all things considered. But  Asuka did not  committ these, and she has been  proven a target for kidnapping – it wouldn’t surprise me if it was the work of Orochimaru. She needs training, and quickly,” Fujin explained.

Obito sighed. “It was the council’s decision. My hands were tied,”

“Bullshit. You are the  hokage . You hold the power. My father also has councillors and a civilian council, but he has the final word. No one can make him do anything,” Fujin stated. “And while he would never admit it, I know his rules are very much based on the first  hokage’s teaching with a mix of Minato  Namikaze’s , which should be the very same rules you are using,” Fujin added. 

Obito stared at him. “You’re right,” he said. “Very well. Arima, you will be put under probation for the time being. In a year, you can become an official ninja if you so desire, following a graduation test. During this year, you cannot leave Konoha without special circumstances that I approve. You cannot engage in any combat, unless special circumstances are applied. You will stay with Fujin,  Naegi and Saku, if you so desire. If not, appropriate quarters will be made for you. You  will have an ANBU stationed with you at all times during this year. A tracking seal will also be applied, which must not be removed under any circumstance by any other than myself,”  Obito explained.

“ Asuka . To remedy your lack of education in the ninja arts. I will assign you a teacher. You will work with them until the years end and attempt he graduation exam with the other academy students. If you fail it, you will be assigned to the remedy classes the academy offers for all failed graduates,”  Obito added. 

“As for the attack on the Uchiha compound, I will make sure that we have ANBU squads stationed there at all times. I’ll also call  Sasuke and have him return from his mission as soon as he can. We can discuss more tomorrow. For now, I suggest you go to the hospital and get your injuries checked out. I’ll send someone to take your report as well,”  Obito smiled.  Asuka nodded slowly, having a lingering glance at Fujin before she turned around and left the office, followed by one of the ANBU.

“Arima,” Fujin said. “You should go home before me,” he said. Arima nodded, looking at  Obito for permission.  Obito nodded, letting the boy leave before turning his attention back to Fujin.

“I... I have a thing that I would like to ask,” Fujin started. “There are chances that more of  Orochimaru’s experiment subjects manage to escape. They all know about us here in Konoha. I know it’s not normal procedure, but can we maybe offer them help, if they seek it?” Fujin asked. Obito stared at him for a moment, before a softness grazed his face. 

“Of course. I can put out the orders to my border patrols as well to keep a lookout for people matching the profile. It has risks, so they will be put under thorough investigation, but we will help them, one way or another,”  Obito said. Fujin nodded.

“Thank you,” he said earnestly. 

“Fujin,”  Obito said. “Please go home and get Naegi to heal you. You’re bleeding all over my carpet,”

“Oh shit, sorry!”


	13. The Truth

Saku would have to admit that life had gotten very strange very quickly. 

She was overjoyed that Fujin had returned, and she was so happy that Arima was here. And especially now that Fujin had managed to get him a somewhat official, yet kind of temporary but possibly parament stay in Konoha. Arima and her had gone out to town to shop the other day, and it had been so refreshing to be out in the sun and having fun with him rather than still feeling like he was trapped  somewhere, and she couldn’t help him. 

And then the incident with  Asuka had happened, and it reminded her that Fujin seemed weird. Like the world was on his shoulders, even though there shouldn’t be anything. And Saku prided herself about not being particularly book smart but  hella good at physical things, but she wasn’t stupid. She could see that Arima knew. And despite her hinting, she could not get answers from him. And not from Fujin either. 

Naegi didn’t know either. And it was frustrating as hell. 

Despite that, they had managed to invite several of their classmates the other day. It was then it really struck Saku how much Fujin either had changed, or how good he was at acting. When he was at ease, he was  pretty carefree smiled and laughed, but with a completely different energy than what he felt like with their classmates. Here it seemed more, not exactly fake, but very much different. It didn’t seem fake to anyone but those who knew him well, however. Perhaps it was just his way of being careful. 

She sighed, leaning against a small pipe. She was currently sitting on the train that went around the city of Konoha. Hidden away from prying  eyes, but allowing her to watch the city in its entirety. She had come here to think, believe it or not. 

The train went through one of the outskirts of Konoha were most of the training grounds were. Saku watched the horizon before she decided that some training on her own would do some good. She had gotten more used to being on her own in the village. At least as long the sun was up, which it would be for another couple of hours. 

The training ground she preferred was divided by a relatively large river. It was good for training water walking, but also allowed her to listen to the sound of running water when she was meditating.  Silence was not something she enjoyed. 

She had been working on how to increase the range of her  byakugan . She could see far, but she knew she could see even further. What she did, was that she sat on a rather big rock that was situated in the middle of the river,  byuakusharingan activated, attempting to push with her chakra and see how far she could stretch it, and focus on nothing else but that. 

“H-help!” A voice shouted almost right behind her. Saku frowned. She couldn’t see anything. It wasn’t possible for the sound to be that close. Then, her vision flickered. She was in a deep forest, a growling animal right in front of her, ready to pounce. Saku’s eyes widened, and she jumped to her feet. She jumped backwards, tripping over a branch and crashed into the ground. The beast jumped, and just before it would hit her, her vision changed again. She was soaked, lying in the river with water up to her shoulders. 

“What the fuck,” Saku breathed. She stood up. She knew she had tripped over that branch, and not fallen. She had been on flat ground, yet here, she had fallen over a meter down. That would’ve hurt a lot more. Had she been teleported? Why would she be teleported back and forth? 

“Help me!” A voice screamed. Saku lifted her hands up to cover her ears, but it did not stop the screaming voice at all. It was in her head. It had to be. Saku tried to calm her breathing. Genjutsu?

She tried to disrupt her chakra flow and deactivate it, but to no avail. Her  Sharingan should let her  break through any  genjutsu . What was it then? Another type of jutsu? She had never heard of it at least, something that could affect you this way.

She walked out of the river, glad that Konoha was still in the middle of the summer. Otherwise she would have been very much colder than what she was. 

“Hello?” She asked. The voice had disappeared. She frowned. What the hell was going on?

The area she had been in. Thick trees, dangerous beasts, there weren’t any country as far as Saku knew that had that kind of dense forestation other than the Land of Fire, specifically the area around Konoha. With the beasts as well, it wouldn’t surprise Saku if the place she had seen was right here in the village. Specifically, training ground 44, the Forest of Death. 

The smart thing to do was go back to the compound, fetch  Naegi and Fujin, not Arima, seeing as he could not engage in combat. 

But Saku was not smart.

And she was very curious.

And  so, she began walking towards were she kind of remembered the training ground to be. 

The freaky thing was, the voice just kept reappearing at random times. And it really disturbed her when she was trying to walk somewhere. Like, turning around so many times was giving her a whiplash, and she kept tripping over her feet when she did it. 

Not to mention that the voice had absolutely no physical source!!

But yes, the place she had seen had  definitely been training ground 44. She was standing outside it, the warning sign clear as day. The woods were the exact same she had seen, and that was all good. 

And then her vision got disturbed again. Now, the beast was on the side of the fence. If this was a teleportation technique, then it made no sense. Genjutsu was the only option. And it was probably ridiculously strong as well. Maybe that’s why she couldn’t locate the caster – the person had such as strong  genjutsu that she couldn’t notice them. But it meant that this beast was fake.

And then the beast literally smashed the fence open. 

Saku jumped back, barely avoiding the next attempt to turn her into ribbons. What the fuck. 

And then her vision flickered again, and now the beast was gone, but the damage  still remained . No trace of chakra. No signatures. No nothing. It didn’t make any sense, and now it was just beginning to frustrate her. She jumped across the fence, and into the forest.

The Forest of Death was not something to take lightly. Even Saku knew that, and she kept her  byuakusharingan activated at all times. She made sure to keep a stealthy approach in the treetops, rather than walking around aimlessly. The voice came like whispers around her. Shadows peeking in the shadows of the trees around her, barely visible. Not  really pleasant . 

And occasionally some freaky monsters would appear as well. Saku was convinced that it had to be some sort of teleportation, because if it had been  genjutsu the beasts wouldn’t be able to do real damage. Like actual tree-shattering damage. Saku couldn’t afford getting hit by one of those. She would be  actually murdered , either by the beast, or by  Naegi , Fujin and Arima at home. Possibly her parents, or maybe even her siblings save Nagito, who could mostly only attempt to crawl or roll around aimlessly. 

She swore as she saw a big bear on the ground below her. At least the bear couldn’t fly, but if she lost her vision now, she would be screwed. She furrowed her brows in concentration, charging chakra to her feet before shooting forwards, flinging herself across the clearing. 

She headed towards the centre of the forest. She knew there was a tower there, and often the scene for the Chuunin exam held in Konoha. Hopefully, though she wasn’t too optimistic about it, the person causing her these weird feelings would be there. It was  pretty normal for a bad guy or whatever to be in the centre of somewhere, right?

She saw the tower in the distance, speeding up to get there faster. She was surprised to find the doors to the tower unlocked, however, as she stepped  inside, she did not find herself in the tower anymore. 

Saku hated to admit it, but she was pretty sure this was the pit.

She felt herself loosing strength in her feet. But as she was about to fall to her knees, she heard the voice again.

“Make it stop!” The voice screamed. Saku desperately looked around, still not able to see, she couldn’t even get her  byuakusharingan to work properly. 

“I’m here,” Saku tried. Her voice ringing out through the hall. She could see the combating subjects. She could even see herself in the fray, kicking and punching away on some random person she never knew, and never would know. She could see  Naegi so gracefully knock people out, making sure he didn’t kill anyone. She could see Fujin mercilessly killing anyone in his path.

But she couldn’t hear it. She couldn’t smell the blood, sweat and decaying bodies. She couldn’t taste the metallic essence in the air, because blood was spilled in so massive quantities that you could taste it. If it was imagination at that point or not, Saku didn’t know. 

They were so young. 

She would have anticipated more panic than what she was currently experiencing. She felt strongly about this place, but there was no fear. The pit made her angry. And sad. She had a good life now, and she would’ve had a good life for her entire childhood if things hadn’t gone the way they did. The pit represented a part of her regardless. The will to survive. The will to stick with Fujin and  Naegi despite anything that might come in their way.

She knew this wasn’t real. But she was still there. The railing was real, as she caressed it with her hand. The kunai that lodged itself to the wall right by her was definitely real, as she grabbed it and flung it somewhere else. It was physically there,  but yet , what she was seeing couldn’t exist. Because she herself was there. 

And then the doors disappeared behind her. And all seeming entrances that had existed in the Pit was gone. It was only the pit left. No exit.

Saku took a deep breath. She focused her eyes. Faintly, just barely, she could see the strings of chakra in her vision. It wasn’t something she would notice unless she specifically looked. It was like when you took a string, twirling it around your finger until it was  completely covered, moved a hundred feet away and then tried to see that it was in fact, a string, and not a red finger.

But despite her best efforts, she could not dispel the illusion she was seeing.  But she could see towards were the strings were going.

In the middle of the pit, obscured by the fighting subjects, were what, or rather most likely who she was looking  for. Saku began walking into the pit, allowing her instincts and her  sharingan do the rest of the work. Avoiding the subjects, their weapons and their  jutsu like when you treaded a needle through fabric. Swiftly, and unnaturally graceful for Saku’s usual behaviour. 

And soon, she found herself in front of two figures. One, pretty plain. A girl, with long black hair, torn clothing which looked way to cheap and plain to be something she would get herself. Holding her on her lap, was someone who looked the same, but her face was... disturbing. Rather, there was no face. Only a black void with piercing red eyes.

“Hello?” Saku asked. 

The red eyes met her white. 

“Konoha would be safe,” the void person said. Their voice unnaturally dark and raspy compared to the size of the person. She had to be the same age as Saku. “Fujin broke us free. Opened the door when there was no escape. Held  Orochimaru off while we ran. No one else made it out but us. I’m needed to protect her. Her mind so shielded from the horrors she’s seen. Her illusions keeping her trapped, but peaceful. It let me get her here. But we could not venture into the village. Too many uncertainties. I reached out, found you and then I led you here. Wake her, and keep us safe,” the void person continued. “Or else I will bring ruin,” 

Saku swallowed hard. That did sound more like a threat than a request. 

“So, uh, how do I wake her?” Saku asked. The void shrugged.

The void person really shrugged. It stood up, making sure that it didn’t entirely drop the person’s head on the ground. And then it stepped away, allowing Saku to kneel down by the girl’s side.

She was pretty, Saku noted. She took the girls hand in hers. She wasn’t entirely sure how this worked, but she knew that disrupting chakra could cancel  genjutsu , but this was  pretty extreme . So, blocking  was the best she could do. She could see the points, but she wasn’t entirely sure how she could do it safely, but at least she could try and do it in a less dangerous area.

She forced her own chakra into the point, keeping it solid in there as she blocked the flow. Then, the girl’s eyes sprung open, twisted Saku’s arm and attempted to shove Saku on her stomach. However, Saku and her amazing eyes intercepted that, blocking the girls attempted second strike and holding her in place.

“You’re safe,” Saku said. Around them, the illusion melted away, revealing the tower once again as it was supposed to be.

“Where..?” The girl asked. Saku smiled.

“You’re in Konoha,” she said. The girl stared at her with wide eyes.

“Is Fujin and Arima alright? I saw them barely escape when Fujin broke into  Orochimaru’s hideout-”

“He did what?!” Saku exclaimed. She stared at the person, completely bewildered.

“He didn’t tell you?” The girl asked. She looked confused as well. “He broke a lot of us free. At the time I had just finished my report about my training, when Arima came back to report about his infiltration mission. He had been gone for a pretty long time, having been stationed in  Uzu for roughly a year or more I think,” the girl said. Saku still seemed perplexed, but even her relatively slow mind came to a conclusion.

The reason why Fujin had been so quick to lie to his father, was because he had already been lying. She frowned. No longer, at least.

“Come with me, I’ll bring you to my home. However, we are currently in the most dangerous training ground in Konoha.  So we’ll have to be quick. How are you in combat?” Saku asked.

“Not great,” the girl replied.

“Also, what is your name?” Saku added, folding her arms across her chest.

“ Kurama Mizuko,” the girl replied. Saku cocked her head to the side.

“ Kurama ? Isn’t that one of the major clans in Konoha?” Saku asked. The girl – Mizuko – now matched her perplexed stare. 

“I know it is my clan, known for their  genjutsu bloodline, but I don’t know if they belong in Konoha,” the girl answered honestly. 

Saku shook her head.

“We got to move anyhow,” She stated. “It will be dark soon, and I do not want to be out when it’s dark,” Saku stated. 

The trip back was uneventful, but inside Saku’s mind there was a whole lot going on. 

Fujin had lied. He had lied to basically everyone. Perhaps not Arima, so was that why he was so not willing to tell why Fujin was acting weird? Was this why Fujin was acting weird. Guilt? Probably. Saku might not be the sharpest knife out there, but she knew Fujin had a major problem with taking too much responsibility. Why would he lie though? 

If Arima had a yearlong mission in  Uzu , why had Fujin stayed quiet about it? Did he know? What was Arima’s mission there beyond spying? Was there more to it? Why wouldn’t Fujin want to tell them why he broke into  Orochimaru’s ? Was it out of fear of worrying herself and  Naegi ? Despite showing up with one less arm than what he left with? 

There were so many questions, and yet so little answers. She could only guess, and she wasn’t entirely good at guessing.

They made it to the compound when all three of Saku’s housemates came rushing out the door. 

“Saku! Where have you been?!”  Naegi and Arima shouted in unison. They stared at each other in confusion, though a slight blush was visible on Arima’s cheeks. Fujin however, stared at Mizuko.

“Subject Thirteen,” he said softly. Mizuko nodded. “Don’t worry. The  Hokage is willing to let you stay under circumstances. Arima is doing the same thing. Though I’m pretty sure you have your family to get back to,” Fujin said with a smile. 

Saku saw something there. An unusual kind edge to Fujin. Something protective, maybe. He really wanted to take care of the people who got away from Orochimaru.

“Why don’t you send a clone with her Fujin, go to the  hokage and get her all sorted out. Alert her family. Get her home,” Saku said with a wide smile. Fujin nodded, creating a single shadow clone. 

“Don’t you worry, they’re more durable than they look,” Fujin said. Mizuko nodded again. 

“Thank you,” she said. Nodding to Saku before leaving with the clone.

Saku then grabbed Fujin’s shoulder firmly.

“We need to talk,” she said seriously. She saw Fujin’s eyes widen slightly, clearly  surprised . 

They all went into their home, and Saku promptly led them to the living room and they all sat down. 

“What is this?”  Naegi asked slowly. Saku narrowed her eyes at Fujin.

“You have been lying to us,” she said firmly. Fujin paled. It was true.

“Not only have you lied – but you have lied for a very long time,” she added, and did not hide her hurt. “Mizuko told me some things,” she added, tightening her hands into fists.

“So, tell me, how exactly do you justify not telling us that Arima was in  Uzu for more than a year? That you didn’t have ‘a run in’ with Orochimaru, but broke into his hideout. What is going on? And don’t you even dare try lying your way out of it, because this is not how we do things, Fujin! We promised each other! We stick together!” Saku almost yelled at the end, her voice cracking. 

Fujin did not only look chastised. He looked ashamed. So deeply ashamed and guilt ridden and Saku had never seen it on his face. He was always quick to retort, to argue, to fight his way out of accusations. Or to grit through the pain defiantly. Now, he looked defeated.

“Fujin?”  Naegi asked. He too looked shaken. He looked like his whole world had shattered, to be honest. He was concerned, but the way he slowly inched away from Fujin showed how he also felt betrayed. So deeply betrayed.

“I’ve known about Arima since... well, maybe a week after we got back to Konoha,” Fujin said quietly. Saku froze.

“Fujin,” she said, her voice weak. “That’s three years,” she said. Fujin nodded. 

“I,” Fujin’s breath hitched. He was panicking, Saku realized quickly. Fujin so rarely showed emotions other than anger and brief happiness. She wasn’t entirely sure if she should attempt to comfort him or not. She decided not to, because she needed an explanation. She was kind of  angry, actually . Furious, to be exact. 

“Fujin,” Arima said. “Just spill everything. This should end now. It puts pain on all of us. What you cannot say, I will,” Arima said. Fujin looked at him, and for a moment, Saku thought that he would be angry. But instead, he looked almost grateful.

“I’ll... I’ll start from the beginning, but I actually need Arima to say it,” Fujin said.

“Why?” Saku asked. Fujin bit his bottom lip, before he opened his mouth, stretching his tongue out. Saku thought briefly that he was mocking her, but she could quickly see a mark on his tongue. Almost like a striped square. 

“What is that?” Naegi asked, standing up. 

“That is  Danzo’s curse seal,” Arima explained. “You need to understand that the only reason I was in Uzu, was because of Fujin. He was my mission, so to speak. I acted as his handler,” Arima said.

“But... you were with  Orochimaru up until recently,”  Naegi said. Arima nodded.

“Fujin...” Saku said. And he met Saku’s face, and she could not even explain the look Fujin gave her. There was pain, regret, pleading, and some sort of di s gusted look that wasn’t even directed at Saku. He seemed heartbroken.

“You worked for him?”  Naegi asked loudly. Fujin snapped his head towards Naegi.

“No! I mean, I did, but-”

“You did?!”  Naegi shouted. He grabbed Fujin’s collar and dragged him on his feet. Fujin had to stand on his tip toes to keep his balance.

“Hey! Don’t do that!” Saku shouted.

“He lied. He worked for  Orochimaru ! He betrayed us! How can you just sit there patiently and do  _ nothing?!” _ Naegi roared. Saku took a step back. Fujin didn’t look at  Naegi , he kept his gaze on the floor.

“Say something!”  Naegi shouted at Fujin. Fujin opened his mouth, and then he closed it again. His limbs went slack. And there it was again, Saku noted. The defeat.

“He didn’t do it voluntarily,” Arima said.  Naegi stared at Arima with a look that would have torn any other of their age group apart. There was a lot of anger. 

Naegi shoved Fujin away from him, walking to sit on a chair as far away as he could without leaving the conversation. Fujin sank back to the couch like a bag of potatoes. His head still bowed , and eyes stuck to his feet.

“I’ll start over,” Arima said. “I know what happened through  Orochimaru’s reports, which I was handling for him at the time,” he said. “Fujin was cornered by Danzo,” he stated.

“Who is that?” Saku asked. 

“An old war  hawk . A former councillor of Konoha.  Obito had him removed from power after discovering the dirt he did underneath the Third  hokage’s nose. However, he ran away before anyone could catch him,” Fujin explained quietly. “He always has and always will, think of what is best for Konoha in his own demented and twisted way. An important part of that, is the  jinchuuriki of the kyuubi,” 

“His interest was that in Fujin’s gut. And he easily threatened Fujin by making sure to mention that he did not particularly care for the two of you, and that he wasn’t above hurting your families. He mentioned his contact with Orochimaru, and proved just how easily it was to corner you guys again,” Arima explained. Saku shuddered. The thought of Orochimaru taking them again had haunted her many times. But she had convinced herself that it wasn’t possible, and she had done that for the last three years. 

Fujin hadn’t been able to do that. Which explained his paranoia. Which explained his  often weird behaviour.

“Fujin did missions for Danzo. He left a blood clone with you guys to avoid suspicion. As far as I’m aware, Danzo didn’t report to  Orochimaru that he had Fujin at first. It came to  Orochimaru’s attention quickly enough, but Danzo used that as leverage as well. He gave Fujin the ‘choice’ if he wanted to tell  Orochimaru that he had forced Fujin under his control or not, as well as saying just how easily he could have Fujin shipped off back to Oto,” Arima continued.

“And when he says  Orochimaru came into the picture soon after, I’m pointing out that it took three days before Arima was sent to  Uzu ,” Fujin pointed out. “He told me that  Orochimaru knew exactly where I was, and that the only reason we hadn’t been retaken was because he wanted us to train here. Arima put on the snake bracelet,” he added. Saku sucked in a deep breath.

“Tracking device,” she said. Fujin nodded.

“Missions went on and off. The only thing big that happened was when I was ordered away. This was the Kakei  Sumire incident,” Fujin continued.

Saku’s eyes widened, and she looked towards  Naegi who looked just as surprised. 

“That is why you didn’t help, Danzo was the one behind it, not  Sumire ,” Saku said. Fujin nodded.

“I didn’t know until after it happened. But I knew  Sumire worked for him. I was told to stay away,” Fujin said.  Naegi offered a groan of frustration in the back. Saku shot him a look. They could argue after they had gotten the full explanation.

“Was it Danzo that killed Sumire?” Saku asked. Fujin shook his head.

“ Sumire isn’t dead,” he said. That earned surprised looks from everyone.

“To be perfectly honest, my deal had been ‘stay away, as long as Saku and  Naegi don’t get hurt’,” Fujin stated. “That promise was broken by her. And I planned to kill her for it,” he said. “At the time I hadn’t heard you guys’ side of the story, and didn’t know the circumstance,” he added. “I was actually in the middle of it when I just... couldn’t,” Fujin said. “I couldn’t help but to pity her. Because she looked so defeated. And I felt the same way,” he continued. “I knew that Danzo would find her no matter what, so... I offered her a way out. Temporarily, anyway, until I could figure out what to do,” Fujin said. He made a shadow clone that ran up to his room, before it came back with a scroll in hand.

“Kakei  Sumire is in this scroll,” he said.

The room was silent for a bit. Saku wasn’t entirely sure what to think. There was so much going on right now, that she had troubles wrapping her head around it.

“It’s for her protection, of course,” Fujin said. “There are too many moles. She would have been taken out before she could say anything, not that she could, due to the seal,” he added. “I didn’t want her to die, so she’s currently not in this dimension,” he shrugged.

“Anyways,” Arima pressed forward. “I was about to go back to Oto when Fujin confronted me. He ended up chasing me all the way to Oto. There, he broke into  Orochimaru’s hideout. He also freed a bunch of people, like Mizuko, apparently. The snake bracelet poisoned him, which is why we had to remove his arm,” Arima explained. 

“After that, there has been radio silence from everyone,” Fujin said. “Don’t know for how long that’ll last though,” Fujin said. He then paused. He stood up before bowing deeply.

“There is nothing I can do to make up for what I have done,” he said. “I lied. I thought I was protecting you, but I know that I was only protecting myself. And if Mizuko hadn’t revealed anything to you, Saku, I most likely wouldn’t have,” 

Saku saw  Naegi stalk over to Fujin. A hard punch knocked Fujin to the ground.

“To be so fucking smart you’re an actual dumbass!”  Naegi shouted. “Do you realize just how easily you were manipulated. Oh, boohoo, we were threatened, do you think we are  defenceless ?! Do you think we can’t handle the weight of  Orochimaru still existing?! News flash!  Orochimaru has already left his fucking mark on us, we won’t escape him either even if he isn’t physically here! We can defend ourselves! We can rely on our families! They  definitely can defend themselves! The  Hokage ? He’s the strongest in the whole village! He’d take down Danzo in a heartbeat if he knew what was going on!”  Naegi ranted. Fujin laid on the ground, unmoving.

“You are unbelievable,”  Naegi spat. He then turned around, heading out the front door and slamming the door behind him.

Fujin had the same heartbroken look as earlier, Saku noted. Staring at the closed door for what seemed like an  eternity. She then stood up, walked over to Fujin’s side.

“Fujin,” she said softly. “Look at me,” she said. Fujin looked up. And for the first time in the longest time, Saku noted just how emotional Fujin actual was.

There had always been a distance between them after he was taken to be tortured at  Orochimaru’s . His emotions, while being prominent sometimes, and not  nonexistent , were  still kept at a distance. Now, it was so raw. And she could feel him shivering beneath her fingers. His breath  hi t ched , and then he began to sob. His whole body shaking with each breath, almost no time to cry because he was breathing so hard. 

And all Saku could do was hold him.


	14. Naegi is Angry (Rightfully so!)

Naegi had every right to be furious. He was pissed off. He expected Saku to be a lot more pissed than what she was. But Saku had always been the most focused on just keeping them together, regardless of what happened.  Naegi just couldn’t accept that right now. 

He had nightmares. And this night was particularly bad.

He was standing in a forest, piles of bodies around him. The stench was unbearable. The sky was burning, smoke was everywhere. The grass was soaked in blood. He was in a clearing, and on the other side stood Fujin. His hand covered in blood. His piercing eyes cold and without guilt. A streak of splattered blood ran across his face.

Was that the person he considered his brother? A merciless killer? He wasn’t even sure anymore.

He had woken up with a gasp. And unconsciously, his hand had reached for where Fujin’s usually was. They always slept the same way. Saku sprawled in between them, her limbs tangled in absolutely everything. Fujin lied on his side, facing the two of them, his arm outstretched under Saku, his hand right by  Naegi . Whenever  Naegi felt for it, he could grab Fujin’s hand, and be reassured that they were together, and safe. 

Now, Fujin’s hand was gone. 

The day before, when everything had come into light,  Naegi had left the house in anger. He had returned closer to midnight. They had all still been up, but Fujin was out of sight. Eventually, Saku had come to bed, Arima had gone to his attic.  Naegi had waited a bit, uncertain of what to do, before he too had gone to his room. Fujin had not been there either. He was concerned, but another part of him was happy that Fujin was out of sight. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to keep his cool if he had seen the other blond. 

And yet, now that he had reached for him,  Naegi realized quite quickly how far away Fujin was, in multiple ways.

He hated that Fujin had lied. He hated that he had been betrayed in that way. But he hated most of all that Fujin had suffered through this alone, and he had been unable to see it, or help in any way.

He remembered when Fujin had snapped all those years ago. Afraid to socialize, afraid to ask for help. It had been just around when he had his first mission, according to Arima. 

It should have been a cry for help that  Naegi should have caught. And he didn’t. 

Fujin had apologized. He hadn’t asked for forgiveness. He had explained his reasonings, god damn them all. 

Naegi saw it the moment they confronted him.

Fujin had been prepared to be hated and left. 

And it pissed him off that Fujin even considered it. Because they were family, god dammit! What did that word even mean to Fujin? Had it ever mattered to him?

Of course,  Naegi knew it did. It didn’t stop his mind from going in a billion different directions of how angry he should be, or how he should do things. Imagining scenarios on how confrontations would go, or how he would have to avoid Fujin for the rest of his life, from one minute to another. 

And yet he knew that the only thing that was left to do, was to talk to the  hokage and end Danzo once and for all. Despite all that Fujin and Arima said about threats and  Orochimaru’s presence and  Danzo’s agents, there was nothing that they could do that  Naegi and the others couldn’t counter. 

First of all , they had all been tagged by Ryuusuke and Minato Sr.  Both of them could teleport to their side at any point now, following Fujin’s loss of an arm. All their parents had considered it  before, but hadn’t really deemed it necessary until then. Of course, that would be even more relevant now that Fujin’s entire story would come to light,  whether he liked it or not.

Of course,  Naegi wouldn’t go tell the  hokage without warning Fujin. He was pissed, but he wasn’t rude. 

He knew that he had to talk everything out with Fujin. Eventually. He wouldn’t do it now. He didn’t know where Fujin was, for starters, and it was in the middle of the night. Probably early morning. 

He stepped out of bed carefully, making his way down to the kitchen. He needed water.

The cold, soothing liquid helped a lot with grounding him from his raging mind. He tried to consider what he would do in Fujin’s shoes, and though he was reluctant to admit it to even himself at first, he wasn’t entirely sure he would have done anything different. It was  actually more likely that he just wouldn’t succeed in the lies as well as Fujin would. Because Fujin was so wickedly smart, that he knew how to lie to who, and how to get people to go on board with his ideas. It was manipulative at its worst, a blessing at its best. 

He then decided to go to Fujin’s office slash study room. While  Orochimaru hadn’t really noticed,  Naegi also understood seals rather well. Not to the degree that Fujin’s accelerated mind did, but as well as you would expect from an Uzumaki. 

So when he unsealed a couple of scrolls Fujin had, he saw a mess.

Research on Danzo, on  Orochimaru , on seals, on poisons, on tracking, on how to defend your home, advantages in Konoha’s geography. There were maps of Konoha on any level. Sewers, old maps, construction plans, abandoned or just in planning.  Naegi saw, despite his anger at it, that Fujin had done his best to get out of his situation.

The easiest solution would have been to tell them,  Naegi huffed. Yet, he knew how Fujin worked. He was simply too protective, to an insane and bothersome degree. And while it pissed him off that Fujin didn’t trust them to be able to protect themselves, he knew it came from a wish to do good. 

He understood that Fujin didn’t want to bring  Orochimaru back into their life. He would have lived a lot more comfortably not knowing that  Orochimaru had actively taken control of Fujin three years ago. But it was also a risk, a danger, an event that  Naegi and Saku were unaware of, and by being unaware, they were also unprepared.

He walked along the windows out to the training ground, his glass of water in his hands. That was when he saw in the edge of the forest blurs of white.  Naegi frowned. There was only one person that could be. He placed his glass on a nearby table after swallowing the last of its contents.

He stepped outside, walking across the training ground and into the forest. In a clearing, Fujin was standing, looking ready to keel over any moment. He was panting. There was dirt all over his shirt, and  Naegi could see the clones that came rushing at him from the dark covers of the forest at random intervals.  Naegi cloaked himself, supressing his chakra to remain unnoticed by the other boy.

Naegi could only guess that Fujin had been at it for quite some time. Fujin turned briefly, letting  Naegi see a tear stained and bruised face. He winced. That bruise had been his fault. 

He watched Fujin go at it until dawn. And once the sky had gone from a deep blue to a light pink, Fujin finally collapsed.  Naegi sighed in frustration, but he couldn’t help but to feel sad. He sat down next to Fujin and began to heal his wounds. 

Once he was done with that, he carefully lifted Fujin up. He was much stronger than Fujin physically, and it wasn’t like Fujin weighed a whole lot either. He was quite scrawny, despite having quite the muscles for their age.

He carried Fujin up to their bedroom. Carefully placing Fujin on his side of the bed, letting his arm stretch out the way he was used to. Saku quickly adapted, tangling herself and taking a hold of Fujin’s  other arm. 

Naegi went to the other side that he preferred, quickly returning to the warm covers. It didn’t take long before he fell asleep again, this time holding Fujin’s hand tightly. 

\-------------

Naegi woke up the next morning to an empty bed. 

He wasn’t entirely surprised, but he was a little disappointed. He got out of bed, heading down to the living room area. He there saw Saku and Fujin huddled together on the little kitchen island. Fujin looked just as exhausted as he had been. He looked up when he saw  Naegi , a hopeful look in his face. Naegi sighed. 

He didn’t have it in him to be angry after all.

“I don’t think what you did was cool in any way,”  Naegi stated. “But I don’t hate you. And I’m not going to hold it against you,” he paused. “Much,” he added after a second thought. “But you have to promise to never do it again,”  Naegi said. Fujin let out a relieved sigh, a wide smile growing on him.  Naegi figured it was the first time Fujin had  actually felt relieved in three years. And that is why he had so much  difficulty being angry.

While Fujin had absolute  crapshit planning, he had suffered so much because of his almost self-imposed situation. And  Naegi struggled with coming to terms to that, and even more so being comfortable with adding to that suffering.

“So, what’s the plan?” Naegi asked. Fujin cocked his head to the side.

“Plan?” Fujin asked.  Naegi shook his head with an amused smile.

“Danzo is still out there right. The seal is still on you. They  beli e ve you’re still willing to listen. I think we should go to the  Hokage , tell him everything. And your father. Get all security settled, and get Danzo out of the picture,”  Naegi stated. Fujin hummed. 

“I was actually thinking that maybe we should exploit it. I’ve thought a lot about it, and I agree about telling Dad and the  Hokage . But, perhaps not removing Danzo just yet,” Fujin said.  Naegi frowned slightly. He wasn’t entirely certain if he liked the line of thought Fujin was going down, but he wasn’t one to object before he had heard more details. Even then, he  w ould  rather  argue about whether or not it was smart and fail to convince Fujin , than being left in the dark. (Again.)

“If Danzo believes I’m on his side, I’ll always know where he’s at, what his moves are and so on. Double agent, sorta,” Fujin said.

“And you keep working for them, are you insane?” Naegi countered.

“I’m not even sure if Danzo will call me back, and it doesn’t even have to be for long. Just to get Danzo into a false sense of security,” Fujin explained. He then looked to the side. And if  Naegi saw correctly, there was a blush on his face?

“Now that I have you guys for real... I feel like I’m stronger. I want to be useful, and we already have an insider in this case,” Fujin said. “To make up for my mistakes, I will take him down from the inside,” Fujin added with even more conviction.

“It’s very dangerous,”

“That it is anyway,” 

“The Hokage will never agree,”

“I believe he will,”

Naegi sighed. He knew that there wasn’t much to argue  with actually . Fujin was certain. The only person who would be able to shut him down was the Hokage. 

“Then we go to the Hokage, after the academy – speaking of?” Naegi glanced at the clock.

“We’re late!” Saku shouted. They all jumped on their feet, sprin t in g out of the front door without much of a second glance. They charged chakra to their feet, jumping up to the roof tops. It was a rush to run all three again. Naegi figured they all had the same line of thought, by the looks they were giving each other. 

They got to the academy in record time, the three of them barrelling through the door at the same time. The crash gained the attention of the entire class, and even Shino seemed surprisingly amused by the display. 

“We’re here!” Saku exclaimed, breathless.

“Totally late but here!”  Naegi shouted.

Fujin let out a wheeze, because he had become the landing platform for the other two. 

“Just find your seats,” Shino said with a shake of his head. The three latecomers found their way to a bench, sitting down as they tried to regain a normal breathing pace. 

“Today everyone, we are finally going to start training you with a focus on your weaknesses. We have arranged multiple sets of classes that takes place throughout a day or two each week. The better you performed at your tests, the less of these classes you need to have. This does mean that you have a day off. We will have a constant battle simulation going. In the mornings it will be on the training ground with rounds of capture the flag, and in the afternoons, it will be at the new training facility,” Shino explained. He began handing out sheets of paper to each student. Naegi noticed quite quickly that it was everyone’s individual timetable. 

Once Shino got to  Naegi , Fujin and Saku, they noticed quite quickly that they had barely any classes at all.

“This is based on the academy standard,” Shino explained quietly. “Hence why you guys are already far above than what is expected. The three of you will only be required to keep your skills sharp, and show up to the battle simulations,” Shino said. He then headed back to his desk at the front of the classroom.

“This is of course not what we will do every day for the remainder of the year. We will have special simulation days, outings and field trips. This year, we go to a selected few major nations. One of these is Cloud, where the  chuunin exam will be held in around six months, where you will be able to see what is expected of  chuunin hopefuls,” Shino explained. Fujin grinned. And  Naegi couldn’t help but to share his sentiment. Going somewhere that wasn’t  Uzu or Konoha would be exciting. 

The rest of the school day went on pretty much as expected. They started officially with their new routine after lunch, which meant that Saku,  Naegi and Fujin were all headed to the advanced training facility.  Naegi noted that they were the only ones to do so, but  Yachi had been expecting them and them alone. He’d set them up for not only solo battles, but three-man cells and two-man cells as well. He switched them around of course, and the computed picked their opponent. It was fun, to say the least.  Naegi found it a good way to reconnect with both Fujin and Saku by fighting together again in this manner. To really get that cooperation back in place. While of course their friendship hadn’t really suffered anything the past years, there had been no real way to push their training without fighting each other, so training on teamwork and combos was difficult. Fujin’s clones helped a lot, but they didn’t really prove to be much of a match when they were only a fraction of Fujin’s strength. 

After the academy ended, they headed straight for the  Hokage . They knew that  Obito was often busy, but it was also necessary for them to talk. Arima was with them as well, to give his full report.

This time, the explanation went much smoother. And  Obito had seemed serious, but still comforting and encouraging at the same time. 

“I underestimated Danzo,”  Obito said once the tale was finished. “Ryuusuke will be able to remove the seal, Fujin,” he added. 

“With all due respect, I feel like I should continue working for Danzo as a double agent,” Fujin stated.  Obito raised an eyebrow.

“I’d think you would want to be free of him immediately?”  Obito asked. Fujin nodded.

“I would, and I believe this is the best way. He is currently not doing anything. He hasn’t summoned me once. I believe that he heard of the spectacle with  Orochimaru , and has realized that I’m not above defying orders. Especially not after the stunt I pulled on the train,” Fujin said.  Naegi saw that he shuddered. That hadn’t been a good day, Fujin had told him. Even though it was satisfying to tell Danzo to shove it. 

“Well, we can still alter the seal to a certain degree. Let it’s summoning property remain, but not the inability to implicate Danzo in his crimes,” Obito said.

“You’re going along with it?”  Naegi asked suddenly, earning a look from both Fujin and  Obito .

“I understand your concern,  Naegi . However, with Fujin having Minato-sensei and  Ryuusuke’s Flying Thunder God seal, there is no reason why we shouldn’t be able to bail him out of a difficult situation, but it will also let us capture Danzo at any time we want. But for now, learning of his goals and watching how he works is clever, if he ever decides to call for Fujin’s help again,”  Obito explained.  Naegi huffed, but he got it. 

Not to mention that Fujin and Arima had removed those ROOT officers the other day when saving  Asuka . They didn’t know what kind of reaction Danzo would have to that. 

After their talk with  Obito , the  hokage had sent a message to Ryuusuke on his computer.  He briefly explained the  situation and telling the other  kage to come and have a long chat with his son.

And a long chat they had.

Fujin had got reprimanded quite heavily. Once again reminded that he was in fact, not a ninja, and not in a position to take these kinds of decisions that affected national security for not only one, but two nations. After that, Ryuusuke had apologized for what had happened. And he had even told Fujin that he had personal experiences with the fear of upsetting your teammates and the blowout that could have. He was glad that Fujin had gotten the result that he did, and that they had uncovered this as quickly as they could. If this had continued for even more years, Fujin would have been completely stripped of his chances to become a Konoha ninja, most likely risking not only prison, but perhaps complete exile. Back in the day, this would have been high treason, and could have resulted in execution. 

Good thing  Obito was against that sort of thing. 

Not that Ryuusuke would ever tell anyone, but he had no qualms about risking war to save his son from Konoha’s punishment depending. 

Fujin had gone to check up on both  Asuka and Mizuko a few days later. Learning that  Asuka was currently being drilled in the academy curriculum, while Mizuko and Arima was under the same sort of probation.  So, things seemed to be  pretty stable on that end, at least. 

And the following evening,  Naegi , Fujin and Saku (and Arima) hosted another party at their house. This house, which before had been a place of many secrets, both unknown and known, had now become a place of extreme warmth. 

Naegi watched as the group of people spread through the room after grabbing their plates with different snacks. Bags of many sizes were stashed around the room along the walls and in corners. Did he call this a party? It was  actually a massive sleepover. 

Fujin and Shikao was talking quietly with each other, sticking together for most of the night.  Naegi was glad that Fujin had found someone in their class that he enjoyed the company of, even though he did feel a slight pang of jealousy for not being Fujin’s only friend. But it disappeared as quickly as it came, because he had lots of friends, Shikao being one of them, and he could not judge Fujin for wanting the same, and he would not, because he didn’t believe it to be a bad thing at all. 

Asuka , Mizuko and Arima were all chatting with each other, apparently having found some connection through each other that made them more comfortable than with the others. Was it perhaps that they were all ‘loners’ together?

“Alright, alright!” Saku exclaimed excitedly. “It is time to play party games!”

\-----------------

And so, the year continued. And on the horizon, the Genin exam grew closer and closer.


	15. The Graduation Exam

Fujin was woken by Saku literally screaming the moment she woke up. And he realized quite quickly why she had screamed.

“Today’s the day!” Saku shouted. She jumped out of bed, running to get her clothes on. Fujin created two shadow clones to begin on the breakfast. And then he let himself sleep for another five minutes.  Naegi headed into the shower, opting to take that  as a way to calm his nerves. 

Fujin had no nerves. He knew that they would pass. The only thing that he was wondering was who was going to be their  Jonin instructor. He was also holding on to a tiny shred of hope that they wouldn’t be stuck doing D-ranked missions. 

A tiny hope.

Eventually, Fujin dragged himself out of bed as well. He got ready, headed down to the kitchen were a generous breakfast was being serve d . Saku was essentially vibrating in her seat with excitement. Naegi came moments after, still comfortably drowsy with damp hair that made it appear even wilder than usual, which wasn’t  really what Fujin would’ve expected. 

“We don’t really know what to expect, do we?”  Naegi asked. Fujin shook his head.

“I’d assume a thorough testing, but we’ve basically done that through the entire year. They should know our skill level already,” Fujin said.

“Maybe it’s a practical test,” Saku suggested. Perhaps very hopeful, but there was some merit to her theory, Fujin thought.

“Maybe,” he agreed. 

“I would hope so,”  Naegi said. “Even I am getting tired of the tests,” he chuckled, sending a mocking glare towards Saku.

“I knew they would be the end of us long before any of you,” she stated, puffing out her chest. 

“At least we know that we’re going to pass, I think,” Fujin said. “And they will put us in a team together, probably, all things considered,” There was always the chance that the instructors figured they would balance out the teams instead, placing the three of them on different squads to even out the level. It  was something that was done in the past, but it had mixed results. 

The three of them began eating. Since Saku had woken them up like way too early, they at least had a lot of time to prepare. Though it was hard to prepare for something when you didn’t know what it would entail. 

Fujin went over his seals. While they technically weren’t authorized to carry weapons yet, Fujin had them. And he had them basically everywhere, considering that he now actually had to consider that he could very well lose a limb. 

“The  genin exams tests everyone’s individual strength. While they attempt to hide it from new graduates, there is a second  genin test conducted by the  jonin instructor,” Fujin said. He had read this at  Orochimaru’s place, but it had been many, many years since he had been a Konoha graduate. “The second test will check the squad’s  compatability , and show the instructor how they work in a practical setting. The test is based on the instructor’s own plans, and can have multiple levels of examinations,” he continued. 

“Essentially, the fist exams will probably normal tests, but the second is the one even we have to watch out for,”  Naegi summarised. Fujin nodded in agreement.

“I think we should just go with the flow,” Saku said. “This is a test meant for academy grads, not some extreme test that will even push us to the limit,” she stated. Fujin shrugged. She had a point with that. If they couldn’t pass, neither could any of their classmates. And Konoha couldn’t really have no new ninja. That wasn’t good. It didn’t benefit anyone, to be honest. 

“Alright,”  Naegi said loudly, slamming his hands down on the table. “Let’s get those headbands!”

\---…---…---…---…---…---…---…---…---…---…---…---…---…---…......

They made their way to the academy at a relatively slow pace. They weren’t in a hurry, though if it was due to the amount of time they had or the realization that they were beginning a new chapter of their lives and that their childhood was officially being left behind, no one  could answer. 

“ Naegi !” A voice shouted. It gained the attention of all three. On the road crossing theirs, they could see  Hitomi and Kenzo.  Hitomi was waving wildly, Aimaru barking by her feet. Fujin found it quite interesting that the Hyuuga and Inuzuka had even managed to get a relationship going, but Fujin had done some research into the clan heirs’ families, as one did, and  Hitomi’s father was the second child of the clan head, meaning that when he married Hinata Hyuuga, he was made an honorary member of the Hyuuga clan. The fact that  Hitomi had inherited the  Byuakugan as well as the Inuzuka traits, let her  have the opportunity to become the strongest tracker that the world has ever seen.

And even if Naegi himself hadn’t noticed, Hitomi had the biggest crush on him.

Or perhaps it was just Fujin who noticed. He wasn’t entirely certain if the others had, and he wasn’t the one to ask about it either. But he was good at reading body language, so at least he didn’t feel wrong in his  assessment . 

“ Hitomi ! Kenzo,”  Naegi greeted back. “Are you guys ready?” He asked. Hitomi grinned. 

“Ready as ever! I’m  gonna rock this exam!”  Hitomi exclaimed. She and Saku fist bumped, grinning even wider at each other. Fujin went over to Kenzo.

“Do you feel excited?” Fujin asked. Kenzo nodded, though his facial expression did not show it at all.

“Come on, we  gotta move!” Saku shouted. Fujin sighed. They had time. All that would happen now is that they would be way too  early and sit and wait in a room with one energy time bomb, aka Saku.

And yet he followed her as she led the way, with their new companions, her pace had picked up. Saku was essentially skipping as she walked. And though Fujin really wished that he had been able to sleep a little bit longer, he felt like this was deserved on Saku’s part at least. 

She had done so much to ensure that he and  Naegi actually made up. The first step had been  Naegi’s acceptance, but the second had been to mend the broken trust. That had taken time, and Saku was the glue that put them back together, even if she knew it or not.

So Fujin didn’t want to rob her for the excitement and happiness she was feeling about the exam. If she wanted to come to the academy thirty minutes early, they would come to the academy thirty minutes early. 

And they did. And there was no one else in the classroom. Why exactly  Hitomi and Kenzo had left so early, Fujin didn’t know, but he had an idea that it was tied to their clan and their morning rituals more than anything else.

Clans didn’t have the biggest part  in today’s society , but that didn’t mean that they didn’t play a part. They were still a major political influence, and the training of their members came at great benefit to Konoha’s resources. Clan traditions had largely dwindled, and it wasn’t as strict as it used to be, but some clans, like the Hyuuga, still preferred to entertain a lot of their old rules. At least the caged bird seal that had been used on the Branch family had been abolished before the Fourth Shinobi War. It had been a very radical change on  Obito’s part, but it didn’t gain a lot of opposition from anyone but the Hyuuga clan elders. Who were now of course not in the picture anymore, and could not complain. 

“Kenzo,” Fujin said. “Why don’t we have a small spar in the front,  taijutsu only, no jumping?” Fujin asked. Kenzo grinned. He knew that he wouldn’t beat Fujin head on, nor would he be able to beat  Naegi or Saku for that matter,  but it was a good training exercise. 

The two stepped to the front of the classroom, settling into their poses. It was a simply sparring style, simply attacking and blocking back and forth like you would practice fencing. It had minimal movement, which let them do it inside and not break anything. 

Kenzo had improved drastically in his style. Fujin had seen him at the  taijutsu tournament all those years ago, and then it had been sloppy and his attitude was in so dire need of fixing that he had been unable to see his own weakness, despite how much he said his father had complained and tried to help. 

Now, Kenzo’s gentle fist was a firm style. Unyielding and powerful. Fujin figured that with the real training that came with being a  genin , Kenzo would become a fierce  taijutsu fighter. 

Despite them being very early, a lot of their classmates began filtering in soon enough. Fujin hadn’t really paid attention to his classmates outside of the friend group that Saku and  Naegi had already established, which he found himself fitting quite well in anyway. 

Back in the day, almost the entire class passed the  genin exam the academy hosted, but 66% ended up failing in the real  genin test. Fujin wasn’t sure how it worked today, but he was hoping that it wasn’t the case. It seemed a waste to let so many willing students disappear. What even happened to the failed graduates? Did they just go back to the academy again? Put in the spare forces? 

Fujin didn’t know. To be honest, he didn’t really care, but  a part of his mind was just curious about these things. 

“Fujin, you’re here early,” Shikao commented as he entered the room. Fujin was about to answer, but he had almost forgotten about Kenzo when a palm came rushing by the side of his face. Fujin grabbed Kenzo’s arm, pulled him forwards before stepping to the side, letting the other boy fall to the floor.

“Early to kick Kenzo’s ass,” Fujin chuckled. He stretched out an arm to Kenzo, offering to help him back up. Kenzo pouted slightly, still sore about losing even though he knew there wasn’t really another outcome. He grabbed Fujin’s hand and pulled himself up. 

“You’ve gotten better,” Fujin said, before turning his attention back to Shikao. “Saku woke us up early. We’ve been here for some time already,” Fujin said. 

“I figured. When you all celebrate your  birthdays, she’s always making a spectacle. Even her own,” Shikao chuckled. “And everyone else’s,”

“Tell me about it,” Fujin chuckled. “Last New Year's Eve, she woke us up at three in the morning the day before to decorate for a party she decided to host  _ in her dreams,”  _

The two found a place to sit, falling into easy conversation. Saku and  Naegi sat down behind them, Saku occasionally poking Fujin just for the heck of it. She had found a  particular big interest for pranking the last year, and Fujin had absolutely no part in creating them. Nope. Pranking was not a good way to practice his trapping seals. Not at all.

Kenzo sat down on Fujin’s other side, while  Hitomi filled the spare seat behind  Naegi . Fujin resisted the playful grin he felt beginning to grow on his face. He would not out here like that. It wasn’t cool.

“Alright everyone! Settle down!” A voice exclaimed. Fujin perked up, looking down. Next to Shino stood a man Fujin recognized quite easily. It was  Umino Iruka, headmaster of the Academy, and also the husband of Hatake Kakashi. 

“My name is  Umino Iruka as most of you know. I’ll be the main examiner for today’s exam,” Iruka said. “The first thing on the schedule is a timed written test. Shino, if you would,” Iruka said. Shino was quick to hand out the tests. 

Fujin could feel the energy radiating off from Saku behind him. She wasn’t necessarily nervous, but she absolutely abhorred written tests.

It wasn’t the most difficult test though. It went over most what they had gone through the past year, general shinobi history, survival, tactics, that sort of thing. Fujin wasn’t certain if Saku would get it all correct though. Despite the  Sharingan having photographic memory, she never used it for studying. Fujin had figured he should let her figure that she could use it to her advantage on her own, but so  far, she hadn’t. 

Now he just felt bad for not telling her.

An hour passed, and a small alarm ringed. 

“Good. Now, we’ll call each student in to a separate room, so wait until your name is called,” Iruka said. “Akimichi Choza,” 

Fujin watched as Choza almost jumped out of his seat. He was clearly nervous, and Fujin silently wished him good luck. In alphabetical order, he was the first of  Naegi and Saku and him. Saku was probably the one after him, while Naegi was further down the list. 

The students chatted softly with each other, offering some words of encouragement where it was needed, or just distractions where it could apply. Soon enough, a new student was called in, Choza not returning to the classroom. Fujin sighed. While he hoped that he would be able to see if Choza had his headband or not, he knew that the other students shouldn’t get an advantage in knowing what awaited them in the other room. 

Eventually, after several students were called in, including  Hitomi and Kenzo, Fujin’s name was called. He grinned at Saku and  Naegi , heading towards the hallway where Shino was standing. They went across the hall, heading into a new classroom. There, Iruka was sitting behind a desk, which was the only pieces of furniture in the room. 

“Fujin. I’d like you to perform the Academy Three, in addition to a  jutsu of your choice. If you don’t know what the Academy three is, it is the clone, substitution, and transformation jutsu,” Iruka said. Fujin nodded.

“I am unable to perform the normal clone technique, but I know the Shadow clone  jutsu ,” Fujin said. Iruka just nodded, not seeing an issue with that. 

Fujin then created five clones behind him, demonstrating that they were indeed solid clones by touching the clone closest to him. He then had one clone transform into the hokage. He substituted himself with Shino, now standing by Iruka’s side.

“And then a  jutsu of your choice,” Iruka said encouragingly. 

Fujin hummed. A  jutsu of his own choice. There were a lot of techniques to choose between, he supposed. Did  fuinjutsu even count? 

He decided for a weakened Great Breakthrough, having his clones take the hit rather than an unfortunate wall. Iruka nodded. 

“Good. You can go to the advanced training facility now. You might have to wait for the train though, since the next one is going very soon,” Iruka said. Fujin grinned. That was a challenge he was willing to take. 

He left the  classroom and began speeding towards the train station. The train left for the facility every twenty minutes, so it wasn’t like it would be horrible to wait either, But Fujin would hopefully be able to ride with someone he knew. Then again, Saku was probably after him. He could just wait for her. 

He didn’t have a choice. 

In the distance, he could see the train leaving the station. Resigned to his fate, he slowed down. Deciding that he might as well not waste any energy on trying to speed to the station. 

And now he was stuck to his own company. He sat down on a bench, taking a deep breath.

“Had a fun year?” An old voice said. Fujin stiffened. He’d recognize that voice anywhere.

“Danzo,” Fujin greeted. Danzo scoffed. He sat down on the bench next to Fujin.

“You’re doing the graduation exam today, correct?” Danzo asked. Fujin nodded.

“Useful. I’ll have missions for you when you go out of the country eventually. For now, there is too much watch. I heard that you made a mess at  Orochimaru’s ... I wouldn’t have believed it unless I had seen that Arima boy with my own eyes,” Danzo said. “I don’t know whether or not to be impressed, or  embarrassed by your foolishness,”

“Get to the point,” Fujin said. Danzo narrowed his eyes at him.

“The fact that you disobeyed  Orochimaru is worrying. And now several of my own agents have been murdered, among them Kakei Sumire. I assume that was  your doing,” Danzo said. “But they were disposable. And  Orochimaru has lost control over you. Which lets me, have more of it,” Danzo continued. 

“And before you attempt to disobey me... know that I have a better reach in this village than Orochimaru. A much better reach. There is a new addition to the Nara family is it not? Would be a shame if that was changed,” Danzo said. Fujin glared at him.

“Don’t you dare,” Fujin growled.

“Hush, now. Nothing will happen as long as you follow my orders,” Danzo said. “There are some things that I want you to investigate. There are some... weird things that happened following the Fourth Shinobi War. None of my agents have a high enough level in  fuinjutsu to get past certain areas, but you... you have a better chance of breaking through it. But don’t you worry, I’ll make sure it comes at an appropriate time,” Danzo said. 

Fujin was about to say something when the man suddenly disappeared. And not even a second  after , Saku came up the stairs to the station, yelling his name.

“Saku,” Fujin greeted happily. “How did it go?” He asked.

“I think it went great,” Saku said. “And the shadow clone  jutsu definitely gives me a plus rather than the normal clone,” she said. 

“You never really did use that for anything other than studying though. Neither did Naegi,” Fujin pointed out. Saku shrugged.

“It’s not really our style, I guess. I think the Shadow clone is a bit more of a Namikaze combat style, to be honest,” she joked. Fujin quickly signed to her with his hand. They had created their own ninja sign language to communicate. They knew several, after  Orochimaru had them really work on it while they were there, and they had to learn the Konoha one once they got to the academy, but they needed one no one else could interpret. 

‘Danzo was here’. Fujin signed. Saku’s eyes widened.

‘What did he do?” She signed back.

‘Nothing. Told me to expect new missions. Threatened Nagito.’ Fujin replied. Saku paled slightly. 

‘We have to tell Mom.’ 

‘I know.’ 

The two leaned against each other, resting while they waited for the train. 

Shikao managed to catch the train Saku and Fujin was boarding, and the three of them found a table to sit by while they discussed what would wait for them at the new facility.

“They don’t test us in teams,” Fujin said. “ It's probably solo combat based,” he said. 

“Possibly, but the last graduates had a large exam outside for over 24 hours. That was a survival exam, and they had to team up to pass,” Shikao countered. 

“It could be anything,” Saku stated. “The simulation lets you do exactly that, simulate,” she said proudly. “So, anything goes,” 

“Well, yes, but what is most likely?” Fujin asked. Saku frowned.

“ Dunno ,” she said. Fujin shook his head, laughing softly. 

“Approximately three students catch one train. That is a three-man cell. They could test us with teamwork,” Shikao said.

“Or nothing has started yet, and they just sent us there to save time,” Fujin said. “And probably have a free for all, or a very big capture the flag session,” 

“That would be awesome...” Saku said. She loved capture the flag. It was the best exercise in the academy. 

“Solo matches could also take place during this time,” Fujin continued. 

“Fair enough,” Shikao said.

The train came to a halt at the training facility’s station. Fujin, Saku and Shikao were quick to leave, and basically jogged into the building. There, they were met with  Yachi again. Saku ran up to him and gave him a big hug, which earned her a slight twirl through the air. 

“The three of you need to change. Head to your lockers,”  Yachi said, sobering up from his joy quite quickly. The three did as told, finding their wardrobe and quickly changing into the training clothes provided. 

Once they had, they headed back out to Yachi. 

“Good. Now, go through the big doors there behind you,”  Yachi said. Fujin hummed. He had never been through there before. They weren’t going to the battle sim, apparently.

They entered a big  hall; their other classmates were sitting on the ground around the area of the entrance. 

“Wait here until the rest of your class has arrived,”  Yachi said with a smile, before closing the door behind them. 

Fujin looked around. There were multiple doors along the wall. He estimated around forty of them. What they were going to be used for he did not know. 

It took a while before the rest of the class appeared. And damn, Fujin was getting tired of waiting. He tried wasting his time by meditating, but it wasn’t entirely successful. He knew that patience was a virtue and everything, but it felt like someone was just dragging this entire thing out. Did fate not know what was going to happen?

Iruka and Shino stood in front of them, the two of them  smiling slightly. 

“ I will now explain the rules of the final exam ” Iruka said and then he smiled. It wasn’t a kind smile, or the sort of smile you got when someone said something funny. It was a smile that said ‘oh, you guys are so fucked’. Even though Fujin was pretty sure it wasn’t entirely Iruka’s intention. 

“The practical exam is a simple. You will each go into one of the rooms connected to this hall. Inside, you will find three challenges ahead of you. Get through, and you’ll pass,” Iruka said. Shino handed out a piece of paper to every student. 

“Go to the door corresponding with your number,” Shino stated. The class did as told, and quickly found themselves in front of their doors. Fujin glanced back at Iruka and Shino, but they showed no expressions of any kind. Then, the door in front of him slid open on its own. 

He entered, revealing what looked like a dojo. In front  ot the next door, there was the sign for Shinobi.

“We will now test you in  taijutsu ,” a voice said. From around the corner came out a man Fujin had not seen before. He wore a standard  jonin uniform, with long pitch-black hair that spiked out in all directions. There were two jagged scars on his cheeks. He eyed Fujin with piercing golden eyes, and for a moment Fujin felt like everything about him was being analysed in this man’s gaze. 

He quickly appeared in front of Fujin, so suddenly that Fujin didn’t have time to register the kick that was aimed at his side. He was flung to the other side of the room, crashing into the wall. 

“I know of all your skills,” the man said. Fujin rushed at him, striking at him with precise punches, but to no avail. He easily blocked them or dodged out of the way. “I know all your strengths and weaknesses,” the man continued. 

Fujin narrowed his eyes, jumping backwards to gain some distance between him and the man.

“You have the skill. You even have motivation. But the motivation is not for you, and you have no goal – you have nothing to work towards,” the man said.

“That’s not true,” Fujin said. He shot forwards again, sweeping his leg under the other man, who jumped backwards without a single care in the world.

“Isn’t it?” The man asked. “Is your desire to kill Orochimaru?” He asked. Fujin froze slightly, standing still in a defensive position. “To protect Saku and Naegi?” He continued. “How are you supposed to do that, when you will not be able to grow any stronger?” He sped forwards, slamming his fist into Fujin’s stomach. Fujin crumbled, the air in his lungs being knocked out of him. 

“I-I will grow stronger!” Fujin wheezed.

“Not possible!” The man stated hard. He kicked Fujin away, letting him roll along the ground and eventually coming to a stop on his stomach. Fujin attempted to get up, but the other man reappeared next to him, placing his foot right above Fujin’s neck.

“Revenge isn’t a goal that makes you strong. It only weakens you,” The man said. 

“I’m not seeking revenge,” Fujin answered. “I want to protect them,” he said. “No matter the cost,”

The man scoffed. 

“Your desire to protect them might come in conflict with Konoha’s interest,” the man said. “Are you willing to abandon your village, your family, your comrades, all for Saku and  Naegi’s safety?” He asked. Fujin’s immediate answer was yes. He couldn’t imagine sacrificing  Naegi and Saku for anything. He would let the entire world burn for their sake. 

But would he be able to?

His father, his siblings, his mother.  Naegi’s family, who was his own flesh and blood as well. Saku’s family, who was his own in all ways but blood. 

Could he sacrifice Kenzo, Shikao,  Asuka , Arima and all his classmates? 

A part of his mind said yes. Another part of his mind refused to accept that as an outcome. 

“I will find a way for that to never happen,” Fujin said. “I will protect those precious to me,” he said. “All of them,” 

The man stared at him. He picked Fujin up, hurled him through the room and through the door leading to the next. 

“We will now apply ninjutsu,” He said. Fujin jumped to the side, sticking to the wall. This room was much larger than the other, and the walls were made of stone. He could briefly see seals along the walls, probably to absorb any wayward jutsu. He created five clones on the ground, having them start charging up wind chakra. He let himself fall, channelling lightning chakra to his hands before the clones shot the wind forward, shooting Fujin towards the man at a nearly invisible speed. 

Fujin tried to grab him with his lightning cloaked hands in an attempt to temporarily paralyse him, but the man stepped to the side, grabbed Fujin’s wrist and flung him the other way.

“I must say I’m disappointed in what I can see so far,” the man said. Fujin snarled. 

He made three clones, having each of them prepare a  jutsu of lightning, water or wind. The combined attack rushed towards the man. 

Fujin sped towards him following the roaring jutsu. He hadn’t really been able to learn this yet, but he had watched. He began spinning chakra in his hand in, unknowingly adding a tiny bit of lightning chakra. A screeching noise appeared, and Fujin could feel the chakra scratching up the inside of his hand. He didn’t care though, the Kyuubi would heal it soon enough. 

He saw the man use a substitution, but one of Fujin’s clone quickly spotted him, switching places with the original Fujin and sending the real Fujin sprinting towards the man again. His bastardized  rasengan screaming. 

“I will not give up!” Fujin shouted. He jumped, slamming the  rasengan -but-not-really towards the man. If he wasn’t entirely wrong, he could see the man’s eyes widen slightly. He quickly switched places with one of Fujin’s clones, and Fujin’s  jutsu slammed into the fake  him’s face. The clone dispelled almost immediately, and Fujin’s  jutsu tore into the floor below, crushing the stone underneath. 

The man stood still, watching as Fujin turned to glare at him. 

“Let’s go to the next room,” the man said, swiftly turning and walking through the next door.

The room was not of the same size as the previous one. It was much smaller. 

“You are carrying highly dangerous information through enemy territory. Enemies have captured Saku and  Naegi , and are threatening to kill them if you do not give them the scroll. What do you do?” The man asked.

“I create a fake scroll using my copying seal, in addition to adding a small security seal on it that they’ll assume they’ll have to decipher later,” Fujin replied. “Using the scroll as a distraction, I will kill the ones holding Saku and Naegi,” 

“Enemies are holding a large group of hostages. However, Saku and  Naegi are having trouble fighting off their own enemy squads far away. You  have to choose, what do you do?” 

“I create more shadow clones, and maybe even a blood clone, to go back  Naegi and Saku up. They can hold their own, but the hostages cannot,” Fujin said.

“And what if they can’t?” The man asked.

“I have to trust them,” Fujin said. “As they have to trust me,” he added. “We have already talked about these kinds of scenarios. Because we have already done missions before, Sir,” Fujin said. 

The man stared at him for a moment.

“It took me a while to get it,” Fujin said. “But you are not testing me for my skills, but for the Will of Fire,” Fujin smiled. “My father has that teaching quite close to his heart, and he taught it to us as kids. And he also taught us what he learned from his teachers. Those who abandon the rules are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash,” 

The man didn’t say anything, he simply stood there, watching Fujin.

“I know I don’t have a goal,” Fujin said. “Nothing specific, anyway,” he added. “But I want to protect my family. And  despite the fact that a part of me says that it’s  Naegi and Saku above all... my years back here, away from  Orochimaru , showed me that there is so much more to life than just the fight, than just protecting. Yes, I will protect Saku and  Naegi with my life. But I would also do that to anyone who hasn’t proven not to be worth it,” Fujin stated, a new resolve building within him.

The man remained unchanged. Then, a wide grin grew on his face.

“Well, then...” he said, pausing. He made a hand seal, and suddenly, a large seal underneath Fujin began to glow. He then got the same weird sensation he got whenever his father was teleporting.

When he got his senses back, he was standing in another room, Saku and  Naegi right next to him.

“Welcome, the three of you, to Team 7. My name is Sasaki Kenji, and I will be your  jonin instructor. Here, are your headbands, the proof that you have become genin of Konoha,”


	16. The Bell Test

Fujin carefully adjusted his headband, looking up at the mirror in front of him to take it all in. 

They had passed the  genin exam. They had become team 7. They were shinobi. 

After Kenji-sensei told them that they had passed, he had explained that they would have an extra orientation meeting the following morning. Apparently, they were the only team who had gotten to know their sensei immediately, having a separate exam than the rest of their class. 

While the test originally had three students pitted against each other to see if they were willing to work together or not, the test Fujin,  Naegi and Saku were met with was a test to check their individual strengths and will. There had been no doubt that they would work together, after all, so the academy had tailored a test more suited for their  particular situation . 

Today was orientation. Fujin grabbed the metal plate on his headband, checking that it didn’t move around too much when he moved. On the sink in front of him laid the two blue sweatbands he wore around his wrists. On his right arm was the  Ketsugou seal. They had never had the opportunity to test it, and Fujin knew that since he still hadn’t managed to get the  kyuubi chakra under control, they wouldn’t be able to go past the first stage anyway. Not that that was nothing. It should in theory increase both their strength, speed, instinct and stamina. However, they had yet to discover the actual drawbacks. Perhaps it was something to explore now that they had their teacher.

“Fujin!” Saku’s voice rang through the door. “We have to go!” She hammered on the door with what sounded like both her fists.

“I hear  ya !” Fujin shouted back. He took one last look in the mirror. It was time to go. 

He went out of the bathroom, finding both  Naegi and Saku resting against the wall on the other side.

“Don’t you have anything better to do?” Fujin asked dryly.  Both of them shook their head, Saku sticking out her tongue at him. 

“You’re being slow, did you get lost in the clouds again?”  Naegi asked teasingly. Fujin rolled his eyes.

“Let’s just go,” he said.

“Oh, he totally daydreamed,” Saku laughed, skipping past Fujin and heading to the entrance. 

“How many do you think passed?”  Naegi asked. Fujin shrugged, doing a mental recount on how many were in their class. Even with an odd number of graduates, chances were that either the extra student would fill in on another squad that had a recent promotion, or a squad of four genin. That’s what happened to their parents anyway. 

“It’s impossible for me to say,” Fujin explained. “They had a different test entirely. Though I guess at least the clan heirs passed. They all have a good sense of teamwork, and they are skilled in their respective fields,” 

“True,”  Naegi said. “I hope  Hitomi pass at least. She’s been working harder than half the class put together.” They caught up to Saku in the entrance and put on their sandals. 

“I’m sure she did great,” Fujin said and opened the door. Saku shot out so fast Fujin could feel the air push against him. She was excited to start at least. Hopefully doing missions would let her have an outlet for some of that energy and  actually calm down in the evenings. 

They took to the rooftops, hurrying towards the academy. They weren’t late, per se, but they weren’t exactly early either. It was more that very accurate ‘I’ll be there one minute before the bell’ sort of speed. Fujin refused to let Saku wake him an hour before he had to get up. 

The academy was basically empty save for the graduating class. The younger students had a small vacation now for the summer, and the only children that were on the grounds that weren’t of the graduating class was the few hardworking civilian born kids who preferred the training ground the academy had rather than the larger ones around the outskirts of Konoha. 

They entered the building, finding their way to their classroom. They could hear indistinct chatter all the way from where they were, even behind the closed door. 

Saku almost kicked down the door to the classroom.

“We Have Arrived!” Saku shouted. The class turned to look at them (or Saku, more specifically). Fujin spotted Shikao almost sleeping on his desk, and quickly made his way over to him instead. Shikao barely opened an eye, offering him a small smile and wave as a greeting. It was probably still too early for the Nara, not that Fujin could blame him. 

“Fujin!” A female voice exclaimed. Fujin whipped his head around, seeing Asuka, Mizuko and Arima chilling on the desk in the front of the classroom.

“You guys! What are you doing here?” Fujin asked. He walked away from Shikao, walking down the rows to greet the others.

“Through very special training and thorough checking,  hokage-sama finally allowed us to become official ninja together,” Arima explained. 

“Damn, that’s quick,” Fujin whistled. “I wish I could’ve done that,” 

“Then you wouldn’t have had that year of socializing or regaining control of your killer instincts,”  Naegi commented dryly next to him. “Arima, you could’ve told us you were graduating with us, we  _ live together _ ,”  Naegi huffed,  crossing his arms.

“I wanted it to be a surprise,” Arima said with a smile. Saku, who had previously been occupied with talking to  Hitomi and Hana, had now seen exactly who Fujin and  Naegi were talking to. A loud and violent gasp escaped her as she nearly jumped over the entire classroom, or not nearly, she did, and used the roof as a point to catch herself with her hand to send her down the rest of the way. The class let out a low gasp, because while most of them knew how to use the wall climb, they did not have the absolute control to use it in the way Saku just did. 

“ Showoff ,” Fujin chuckled as Saku landed next to him. She grabbed Arima’s shoulder, nearly screaming all of their ears off.

“You!!” She shouted. “How could you not tell us you were graduating!! And you!!” She turned to  Asuka and Mizuko. “You didn’t tell me either!! The betrayal!!!!” 

“Saku - I need to breathe!” Arima exclaimed between gasps as Saku shook his shoulders violently. 

“No! You need to suffer!” Saku shouted. “How dare you hide this! I’m so happy for you guys but how dare you?!!” 

“Everyone, settle down!” Shino’s voice rang out over the students, no, scratch that, they were genin now. 

Fujin headed back up to where Shikao was sitting, sliding down next to the other boy. 

“Figured out what team placements yet?” Fujin asked. He loved discussing things with Shikao. The boy, while not genetically modified as Fujin was, had an intellect on the same level as Fujin, if not better. It led to some interesting battles of wits, and Fujin enjoyed that challenge. Playing shogi with the boy in the afternoons after the academy had become a nice change of pace. Not that  Naegi and Saku didn’t entertain him, but he liked having an actual brain challenge, something at least Saku couldn’t do.  Naegi could try, and he would come up with some interesting tactic, but they didn’t really target Fujin’s mind the way Shikao did. 

“No,” Shikao huffed. “There’s too many things to consider, I decided not to. It was troublesome,” 

“Lazy ass,”

“Saku’s side took all the energy of the clan,” 

“Be quiet now!” Shino’s voice interrupted again. “I’m now going to list the team placements,” 

“Team one; Nara Shikao, Hyuuga Hitomi, Akimichi Chouza. Your  jonin sensei will be Uzumaki Yuki,” A loud set of gasps rang through the room. Fujin looked over at  Naegi , who sported an almost smug expression. It was probably nice to see what reaction his mother brought over the class.

Team two, three and four were students Fujin weren’t exactly familiar with. The only thing interesting was that team four’s teacher was Hyuuga Hanabi,  Hitomi’s aunt. 

“Team five is still in circulation. Team six; Hyuuga Kenzo, Tai Lee, Yamanaka Inohana. Your  jonin sensei will be  Sarutobi Konohamaru ,” Shino continued. 

“ Sarutobi ? That’s the grandson of the Third isn’t it?” Tai Lee exclaimed. Shino sighed, but nodded a yes anyway.

“Team seven; Namikaze Fujin, Nara Saku, Uzumaki  Naegi . Your  jonin sensei will be Sasaki Kenji. Team eight; Arima, Uchiha  Asuka ,  Kurama Mizuko. Your  jonin sensei will be Uchiha Sakumo,” Shino finished. “Your teachers will come get you for individual meetings, so stay here,” Shino said and walked out. He wasn’t one for big speeches. He had attempted one before they left the  genin exam, but it didn’t really go over well.  Or rather, he did give a very motivational and serious speech, but the  genin were so exhausted and tired that they really weren’t able to pay attention.

As soon as the door closed behind Shino, it opened again. Out came Kenji, his piercing golden eyes spotting his new charges immediately.

“Team seven, with me,” he said. His voice was  smooth, yet had a strength behind it Fujin couldn’t deny. He, Saku and  Naegi stood up quickly. Fujin offered a small wave to Shikao before he turned to face his new team. 

Though he supposed he had always been in a team, but this was more official, and their trio now had a new addition to it. Fujin’s dad spoke highly of  genin teams, as they created unbreakable bonds for years to come. A second family. 

Saku and  Naegi were already his family, but he supposed Kenji would just have to work with that. If the man would become family or not, Fujin didn’t know. It wouldn’t surprise him if the man kept a professional distance. He didn’t seem like the type to care too much about his students. 

Kenji led them silently out of the academy building. It was still rather early in the morning, and Fujin couldn’t help but to still  have to shake the sleepiness out of his bones. Kenji did not say anything, and eventually they reached the training grounds inside of Konoha’s walls.  Specifically , training ground seven. 

Fujin, Saku and  Naegi had probably not lived a day without hearing about this training ground. This was where their parents had been evaluated when they were their age. This was where their parents had become team five. This is where literal legends had been born. While Fujin knew that their parents were just that, their parents, it was undeniable that their parents were the strongest shinobi alive. And despite Fujin’s dad being sort of scatter-brained when it came to papers and meetings, and that his aunt Eon never stopped wearing hoodies despite them not exactly being seen as professional or mature attire, or that Yuki still was as excited as she had been more than twenty years ago, they could still make entire armies turn around by the mere rumour of their presence.

(This had been tested when a gang of missing  nins tried to install chaos in a nearby village a couple of years after  Akahiko had been born. The peace had been largely undisturbed since.)

Kenji lifted his hand up, a pair of silver bells dangling from his fingers.

“I was taught by the Uzukage,” he said. “And he put me and my team through this test,” he looked over the three  genin . “It was a tradition, he had said, one dating back from the first and second  hokage . The second  hokage was the teacher of the third and used this test to pass his team. The third, used this for his own team of the Legendary Sannin. Jiraiya, used this test for his team, which the Fourth  hokage was a part of. The fourth  hokage , who taught Kakashi of the  Sharingan , and the Fifth, used this test for them as well. Lord  Obito and Kakashi used this test for your parents,” Kenji explained. He dangled the bells again, a chime ringing through the training ground. He looked at the bells, attaching them to his hip.

“You have already passed the bell test, in its essence,” Kenji said. “Because it’s a test about teamwork, and the famous teaching of Lord Obito and Kakashi,”

“Those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum,”  Naegi said softly. Kenji nodded, but his expression told Fujin nothing. (It was maddening.)

“You three, we have always known you had stellar friendship and teamwork. And it was not without merit. You have been tested again and again with your bonds. Be it through corruption by a beast,” Kenji stared at  Naegi . “To be faced with a terrible ultimatum, and choosing your friends wellbeing over your own,” he stared at Fujin. “To fight against your friends, be it through confrontation or battle, and still glue them together,” he looked at Saku this time, and Saku grinned back at him. “Or when you find out your friend has been lying to you, and despite all the reasons to hate him for it, you  forgive, and come out of it stronger,” 

Fujin felt a sting at this and bowed his head in shame. Saku and  Naegi instinctively placed their hands on his back.

“Which is why I will not be testing you to see if you pass and become  genin , like all those before you have. In all sense, by looking at the reports of you guys, you should already have been promoted to experienced  chuunin ,” Kenji explained. “Because of this, I will not treat you like  genin . I will train you from the level that you are at. Yes, you are stronger than your peers, but that does not mean you are at your highest level,” he said, his voice stern.

“You want to beat Orochimaru?” He asked. The three perked up at this, their faces hard as stone. “You won’t, at the level you are at. And it is my goal to make you the best you can be. And I will drive you to the ground, and you will suffer, and you will meet the roadblocks. But you will endure, and overcome them,” Kenji stated. His golden eyes almost glowed in what Fujin assumed was excitement.

“Are you ready for it?” 

Saku,  Naegi and Fujin exchanged glances. The silent conversation between them only steeled their expressions further, and soon enough they turned to look back at Kenji.

“You bet your ass we are!” Saku said, a nearly feral grin on her face.

“Good. Your task will be as the original premise. Attempt to take the bells from me, come at me with all your strength,” Kenji said.

Saku, Fujin and  Naegi jumped back quickly. Kenji readied himself, and then the chaos begun.

Golden chains sprung from  Naegi’s back, crashing and forcing their way up and down the ground, creating an unstable and unpredictable environment. Spikes shot out from the chains, making one unable to tread carelessly. Saku shot forwards with the chains, her  byakusharingan spinning wildly as the veins pulsed around her eyes. She moved in tandem with the chains, not bothered by them at all through habit and her predicting eyes. 

She swept her leg under Kenji’s feet, who jumped easily upwards. Saku grinned, swiftly going through hand signs.

“Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!” She exclaimed, a raging fireball shooting out of her mouth right after. Fujin, shot forward this time, using Saku as a near jumping board to follow the fireball. He had his fist cocked back when a kick suddenly slammed him back to the ground. Naegi dispelled the chains quickly, getting them out of the way from Fujin’s falling body. Kenji was still going upward, a testament to how much chakra he used to get up in the first place. And he was completely untouched by the jutsu.

Fujin crashed into the ground, gasping as the air was knocked out of him. Kenji  fell down after him, ready to probably smother Fujin.  Naegi created a quick and small chain, grabbing Fujin’s leg and dragging him out of the way as Kenji’s leg slammed into the ground where Fujin had been, the ground cracking underneath his kick. Fujin quickly got his bearings again, crouching on all fours as he eyed Kenji. 

Naegi sprinted forwards this time, jumping up to aim several kicks at Kenji’s torso. Kenji grabbed his leg, and as he was about to slam  Naegi down,  Naegi grabbed his arm in return. Kenji’s eyes widened slightly, clearly not expecting the move. Yet, he continued with his movement, slamming  Naegi into the ground.  Naegi grunted, but held on strong regardless. Kenji let go of  Naegi’s leg, aiming a fist square at  Naegi’s face.  Naegi took the hit, his nose suffering under a sickening crunch.  Naegi flipped his legs up, kicking Kenji’s arm up. He created a few chains, wrapping around Kenji’s legs and keeping him rooted to the ground before rolling away. His nose quickly healed, and  Naegi brushed the blood away that leaked from his nose. 

Saku and Fujin shot forwards at the same this time, and despite Kenji being rooted to the spot, he easily avoided or blocked the two  genin’s strikes. And then he substituted away. Fujin swore. Saku closed her eyes for a moment before grabbing a kunai, flicking it towards a seemingly  emtpy spot.  Naegi grinned, creating a rain of golden  kunais and sending them after Saku’s. The clanging of metal rang out, and Kenji stood there now, a kunai in hand as he blocked the volley. 

Fujin appeared next to  Kenji, and aimed a roundhouse kick at the man. Kenji blocked it, and Fujin twisted around, quickly slamming an open palm down on Kenji’s arm. A glowing seal appeared, and Kenji narrowed his eyes. He threw Fujin away, sending the blond crashing into a tree. Fujin fell to the ground quickly, panting. 

Saku and  Naegi ran towards Kenji, the two working in tandem. Kenji became pressed, and quickly aware of exactly what Fujin had done. He had disrupted his chakra flow, making him unable to use ninjutsu. 

Faced against two  taijutsu monsters was clearly not his preferable option now. 

And then, to make matters worse, a group of who-knows-how-many clones of Fujin surrounded him. They quickly went through a long sequence of hand signs before slamming their palms to the ground. A large and complicated seal array began to grow into existence, what would have been strokes of ink on paper was now glowing chakra moving along the ground.  Naegi grabbed Saku in this, throwing her upwards just before the seal closed, and now, both he and Kenji were frozen in place. Saku came rushing down again, landing on top of  Naegi’s back.  Naegi fell to the ground, his shoulder making a not too friendly noise. Saku grinned, grabbing the bells from Kenji’s belt. 

Then, Kenji smiled.

Clapping was heard around the ground, and suddenly, Kenji disappeared with a cloud of smoke. 

“A clone!” Saku exclaimed. She looked around herself bewildered, and that said something, because Saku could see everything. Or at least Fujin thought she could. He dispelled his own clones, the seal keeping his teammates in place disappearing.

Kenji appeared behind Saku almost as soon as the seal vanished, grabbing the hood of her top and throwing her aside.  Naegi was already on the ground, and attempted to get away, but Kenji was quickly pinned by an earth  jutsu , parts of his body submerged into the ground. 

Fujin, who was quite winded from the extensive seals he used, was now panting heavily.  ( H e wasn’t underestimating a jonin, after all, though it seemed he had anyway, his seals w ere very chakra burning, and the chakra blocker in addition to the Super Extreme Paralysis Seal, well, he wasn’t doing great) .

As Kenji sped towards Fujin, intending to finish him off, Fujin looked towards Saku and  Naegi quickly. The three of them had a quick, silent agreement. Fujin grinned.

“ Ketsugou !” He exclaimed. The seal on his right forearm glowed a strong blue, growing up his arm and to his shoulder.

He saw  Naegi burst out of the ground, his strength amplified to an uncharted degree by the seal. Saku ran towards Kenji, and before the  jonin could react she had intercepted his path between him and Fujin. The shocked expression on their teacher’s face would forever be engraved in Saku’s mind, courtesy of the sharingan. 

Fujin quickly got to his feet, and  Naegi sped towards the others. Together, the three assaulted Kenji with a series of well-coordinated punches, kicks, grabs and counters. They worked around each other like an extended part of themselves, as they had practiced for years and years to gain this sort of teamwork.

Fujin felt like he could see everything. Hear everything. His punches felt stronger and lighter at the same time. For a moment, he felt like he was invincible.

It still wasn’t enough.

While Kenji was surprised at first, which let them get in a good couple of hits and attempted (but failed) grabs at the bells, Kenji wasn’t a pushover, and especially not by three  genin . Fujin furrowed his eyes. He wanted to get the bells. He  _ really _ wanted to get the bells.

“Saku,  Naegi ,” he said. “Let’s go with the big one,” 

“Are you sure? The exhaustion-”  Naegi was interrupted by Saku shouting in excitement.

“ _ Please _ !!! How many times do we get to do the big one?!” Saku pleaded.  Naegi sighed in defeat. They all jumped back, crossing their fingers.

Around fifty shadow clones around them, mostly  Naegi and Fujin, but still a lot of Saku clones, took their place and sped towards  kenji . A few remained back with the originals.  Naegi and his clones split in two, one group speeding through a series of  hand signs first.

“Earth Release: Great Moving Earth Core!” The clones exclaimed. The ground beneath Kenji began to sink, and he was swarmed by clones. The Fujin clones placed about a dozen of paralysing seals on him, and while they were minor, together they did great things. 

The second set of  Naegi clones created a barrage of water bullets, creating a nearly small pond in the hole created by the earth style one. 

Fujin and his clones grinned at their que, using raw lightning release to electrify the water, making sure Kenji remained in place even further. Then, the rest of Fujin’s clones in coordination with Saku jumped into the air. Saku went first, her  byakursharingan spinning wildly as she sped through her hand signs.

“Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet!” Saku shouted. The clones alongside her sent a wave of fire dragons. Fujin’s clones sped through their own signs.

“Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!” Fujin’s clones exclaimed, fanning Saku’s fire bullets into massive dragons, and it almost became too hot to be near the  jutsu itself. A small part of Fujin began to worry about their teacher, completely forgetting that they couldn’t permanently damage the man either, he was supposed to teach them after this after all 

The roaring fire crashed into the hole they had created, steam emerging from it as it evaporated the water inside. 

Saku and Fujin landed on the ground, their clones dispelling. The two of them were panting hard, and soon enough  Naegi appeared by their side, not faring much better. The three of them stared as the fire began to die down. And soon enough, Kenji jumped out of the hole. Fujin watched as their teacher walked towards them. 

“You completely destroyed the bells,” Kenji stated slowly. The three looked at where the bells had been, and sure enough, they weren’t there anymore. The three  genin shared a grin. A clone of Fujin ran up to them. A very burnt and tattered clone mind you. It dispelled almost immediately after reaching them, a single scroll with a glowing seal on top of it. Fujin went over to the seal, opening it with a pop.

A pair of bells appeared on top of it.

Kenji stared blankly.

“Okay, walk me through it,” he said. Saku grinned. 

“I had a clone steal the bells and seal it away when we sent the combo of fire and wind. It isn’t the best move, as there is a very large chance the clone gets dispelled. My scrolls are of course fire proof, with extra sealing on top of them. I live with Saku, after all,” Fujin explained shortly.

“Hey!” Saku pouted.

“Saku. The dojo,”  Naegi pointed out. Saku crossed her arms.

“It didn’t burn down,” she stated. 

“No, but it could’ve if I hadn’t been quick to put it out. When are you going to actually start practicing the water  jutsu you have copied?” Naegi asked.

“Bah,” was the response he got.

“And the seal on your arm?” Kenji asked.

“I created it, based on Saku’s original  jutsu ,” Fujin said. “It will in theory merge our abilities eventually. I just haven’t gotten the hang of all my abilities yet,” he said. The loaded statement didn’t go unnoticed by anyone. They all knew which part it was that he couldn’t control.

“Speaking of that seal,” Saku said.

“Ah, yes. We’re going to hit a pretty severe level of exhaustion when I release it, I believe. We have never actually used it in practice,” Fujin stated. 

“We could possibly die,”  Naegi pointed out.

“And you decided to attempt it now because..?”

“It’s fun!” Saku exclaimed. 

Naegi handed Kenji three vials of blood. 

“Just force this into our mouth. It should heal any severe damage to our system, if there is one. We will most likely pass out, and so it’s probably clever to bring us to Tsunade, lest you want us all to face her wrath,” Naegi explained.

“And mind you that you will be held equally to blame, since you are our teacher and responsible for us,” Fujin stated. Kenji stared at them blankly. Fujin would have expected a more panicked expression, but perhaps it wasn’t Kenji’s way. 

Fujin glanced at the other two, the three of them nodding.

“See  ya when we wake up again, Kenji-sensei!” Saku chirped. The three of them deactivated the seal, and quite promptly collapsed on the ground.


	17. Sometimes spitting at people is okay

True to their word, the exhaustion had been  pretty heavy . Fujin opened his eyes wearily, met with the bright white walls of the hospital. Weirdly enough, Saku and  Naegi were not here with him. It was a single room. He supposed they wouldn’t always be allowed to get a larger room, especially not if they were otherwise occupied. He was still in his normal clothes, and his headband was placed neatly on the bedside table. He quickly put it back on. 

Despite only having it for a day, it didn’t feel right not to wear it. 

He got out of bed, finding quickly that he was not nearly as tired as he expected to be. Though he supposed it would be worse for Saku in the long run, not having  Naegi’s super healing or Fujin’s furry friend. 

The drawbacks of the seal were something to consider. They wouldn’t be able to use it in most situations, the risk of falling unconscious being too great to have outside of the village proper. However, it could be useful in the  chuunin exam. The  chuunin exam did take place every six months, and the next one would be coming up soon enough. He was pretty sure that he and his team would be enrolled in it. 

Deciding to not spend any more time in the hospital, Fujin quietly opened the window, sliding out and sticking to the wall.  The sun was low, and it seemed to be pretty late. They had been out for the majority of the day.  He could sense Saku in a room nearby. He quietly crawled down, knocking on her window. She opened her eyes, looked at him from where he hung upside down, blinked, and then went back to sleep. Fujin sighed. She would probably need more rest. 

Naegi , was in a different room, a bit further away. Fujin made his way towards him, and peeked in through the window.

And stared straight into the brown eyes of one angry sannin. 

He wasn’t entirely sure  _ how  _ the next following movements went, but somehow he ended up inside the hospital again, quite forcefully, he might add, shoved into a chair.

“You’re supposed to use the hallways! And not to decide to just leave the hospital before you’re discharged!” Tsunade yelled. Fujin smiled sheepishly. Tsunade sighed.

“You’re just like your father. I heard about the time he ran out of the hospital to go to his own orientation meeting when he became  genin ,” Tsunade said. Fujin just grinned at her, and that didn’t do anything but deepen  Tsunade’s frown. 

“I’m fine now anyway,” Fujin said. “Furball is nice to me in that way,” 

“ Naegi was just giving me the rundown. For now, I’m forbidding you from attempting that during missions or real combat situations, at least until we have gotten some control over the drawback,” Tsunade said. 

“Chuunin exam?” Fujin asked. Tsunade raised an eyebrow.

“I’ll think about it,” she stated. Fujin shrugged. That was the best he could hope for anyway. 

Fujin went on to explain the details around the seal to the best of his ability. Tsunade wasn’t exactly the best sealer around, and while she could make sense of most of it, she wouldn’t be able to tell him what should or shouldn’t be included in the array. 

Eventually, Saku woke up and came to join them in  Tsunade’s office. She was still kind of groggy, but not to a dangerous degree. Most likely, she was just sleepy. 

The three of them now sat huddled together as far as one could be when you sat on three different chairs. Tsunade was staring at them sternly.

“Your parents have been notified,” Tsunade stated. “Unfortunately, they won’t be coming to tell you off, and I’m not entirely sure you need it anyway. You are  genin now, and the person primarily responsible for you is your  jonin instructor. He told me to tell you that he’d meet you back at training ground seven tomorrow at dawn,”

“Can we go?” Fujin asked. Tsunade glared at him.

“I guess I won’t be able to stop you anyway. Here’s the catch,” Tsunade stated, looking over the three of them sternly. “I’m going to let you evaluate yourself how you are. I trust that if one of you falls over, the rest of you will take it seriously and come back here. Other than that, you’re free to go,” Tsunade sighed. She turned away from them, beginning to type something into the computer on her desk. 

Fujin glanced over at the others. Saku gave a shrug as a response, and the three of them stood up and left.

“So,” Fujin said. “How did it feel?” He asked.

“It felt amazing!” Saku yelled. She earned a few pointed looks from a couple of nurses they passed. “My strength went off the charts, I felt literally invincible!” 

“It’s true,”  Naegi said. “And that’s the first stage – without even combining our collective strength as will be the end result,” he said. Fujin grinned. 

“The exhaustion will probably not disappear, but as we grow stronger, we should handle it better,” Fujin explained. “At least that’s my theory,”

“And your theories are generally sound,”  Naegi said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “It worked, didn’t it?”

Fujin smiled at him. It was nice to know that he and  Naegi still managed to support each other. At some points, Fujin had been afraid that their relationship might never mend properly. And he wouldn’t have blamed the other either, considering he himself had never been able to forgive him. Especially not knowing that he is still ‘working’ for Danzo. 

They made their way back home, discussing possible tactics for future training sessions with Kenji. 

As soon as they opened the door, they were met by a stern looking Arima. His hard eyes basically glaring holes into them. Oh, if looks could kill.

“How was your training session?” He asked, crossing his arms. Saku let out a nervous chuckle.

“It was fun,” She said, attempting a smile. Arima seemed unimpressed. 

“And the hospital?” He asked. And though it was a question, it really felt more like an accusation. Fujin figured that Arima would do well in T&I eventually.

“Tsunade turns out to be magic,”  Naegi chuckled. “I don’t know how she grabbed Fujin from outside the window, but she did,” 

“Yeah same. That was weird,” Fujin said. 

“Can you please get back to the fact that you ended up in the hospital the  _ first day _ of being  genin ,”

“Yo, we fought a jonin, measures had to be taken,” Fujin stated.

“It was  _ training!” _

_ “So?!” _

Fujin and Arima stepped forwards, glaring at each other. Of course, Arima was slightly taller and had the advantage of that, but Fujin had a much meaner glare.

“Hey!”  Naegi said. He grabbed Fujin’s shoulder, pulling him backwards. “Do not fight!”

“All three of you need to realize that you’re not in a warzone!” Arima exclaimed.

“And you need to realize that it’s just because of that we can pull risks! Because we’re in a safe environment where we can practice these things without posing a lethal risk to ourselves, our team or the mission!” Fujin shot back. Arima glared at him harder.

“You don’t need to put yourself at risk!”

“We are always at risk!”

“ Oh, come on guys!” Saku shouted. She jumped, kicking Fujin’s side and sending him into the wall before slamming a fist into Arima’s nose. 

Arima fell backwards, clutching his nose. Blood started to show through his fingers. Fujin was covered in jackets and the like after tearing down a rack of pegs with him. He quickly threw it off him, and for a moment Saku stared into a pair of blood red eyes. She took a step back, and when  Naegi followed her gaze to see what was wrong, Fujin had stood up, brushing himself off and seemingly back to normal. 

Naegi headed over to Arima, green chakra emerging from his hands as he healed Arima’s broken nose. 

“We’ve already gotten our punishment from Tsunade,”  Naegi explained. “And of course, we’ll continue to practice this  jutsu . However, we do it under supervision. There is essentially no risk other than exhaustion,” Naegi continued. 

“I don’t think-”

“Frankly, that doesn’t matter,”  Naegi stated. “It’s our choice and we got  Tsunade’s permission to practice it. Of course, no using it in the field or otherwise just yet,” 

Saku moved over to the two of them. 

“And not to mention that we are all ninja, risk is literally in our job description,” Saku grinned.

“And Danzo and  Orochimaru are still out there, and we know that they can appear at any moment,” Fujin said. The three others turned to look at him. He hadn’t moved from where he had stood up, his head hanging low. 

“I have to go,” he said.

The three of them stiffened for a moment. They knew exactly what he meant. 

“I thought you said that he was going to wait – something about too many eyes?” Saku asked. Fujin shrugged, and for a moment, he seemed almost helpless. Even Arima saw it, clear as day, despite Fujin being rather difficult to read most of the time.

Fujin simply turned away from them, heading out the door.

“I’ll... I’ll see  ya later,” he said. 

The door closed behind  him, and left the three other in a heavy silence.

Arima stood up, placing a hand on Saku and Naegi’s shoulders. 

“He’s going to be fine,” he said. He could feel  Naegi clench his hands hard. 

“The problem isn’t if he physically is going to be fine,”  Naegi said. “ Of course he is, he has me to heal whatever skirmish he gets into,” 

“It’s the weight,” Saku mumbled. “It’s easier now of course, now that it’s all in the open. But Fujin still carries it all,” she sighed. “I don’t really know what to do,” 

“Nobody knows,”  Naegi said. “It sucks.”

“Well,” Arima said. “We’re just going to have to make the best of it,” 

“You saw it, didn’t you?”  Naegi asked Saku. Saku nodded. Arima looked between them, clearly puzzled. 

“The  kyuubi ...” Saku trailed off. “It keeps getting more frequent. And that is also something he doesn’t want to talk about,” 

“Fujin doesn’t  _ want  _ to talk about anything,”  Naegi stated, crossing his arms. Saku sighed.

“He’s just worried,” she said slowly. “I don’t think he knows how to deal with it,”

“But he has us!”  Naegi stressed. “Why can’t he rely on us with it?” 

“Possible because he feels like he’s already relying so much on you,” Arima said.  Naegi and Saku turned to look at him. 

“What?” Naegi turned to look at him. 

“ Everyone knows that Fujin is shut off to absolutely everyone  save you two,” Arima stated. “And as far as I understood Fujin from the time we have known each other, he thinks it’s his sole responsibility to carry all burdens imposed on him and let you guys have your happy new life away from Orochimaru,” he continued. 

“Yeah, we know, that’s why he lied in the first place,” Naegi mumbled.

“Exactly. So Fujin opens  up, and reveals something so big that he hoped you would never know in the first place, and then later he figures out that there is yet another thing he can’t do,” Arima continues. “At least, probably, if I understand the  kyuubi thing right. His father can control it, so why can’t he?”

“Fujin has always had the mindset that he can master anything after  Orochimaru did the thing with his brain,” Saku added. She didn’t seem very happy about it though.

“And he knows that it could affect us, so he takes a distance, again,” Naegi murmured. He closed his eyes, and his frustration was clear to everyone.

“Fujin is difficult, to put it mildly,” Arima said.

“No shit,”  Naegi huffed.

“So, what can we do?” Saku asked. She moved past  Naegi and Arima, heading to the couch. She jumped over the back of it, landing on the cushions with a tiny bounce. 

“You can’t force him to open up, but I think just being there and being aware is all you can do,” Arima said. He shrugged. “Maybe your new sensei will help in the long run,” he continued.

“He doesn’t know Fujin,” Naegi stated.

“Well, no, but he is the first one who will look at Fujin objectively. No personal attachment, at least not yet,” Arima stated. He carefully  led Naegi towards the couch.

“Give it time,” he said. “Fujin will come around, you three have a stronger bond than most,”

“At least he isn’t lying about the  kyuubi ,” Saku said. “He’s just avoiding. Maybe he’s ashamed,” she suggested. 

“It’s troublesome,” Naegi huffed. He sat down next to Saku, resting his head on her shoulder. Arima moved to sit on a chair nearby, producing a book from who knows where. 

“One would’ve thought that you were the Nara of us,” Saku chuckled. 

“And you the Uzumaki,”  Naegi scoffed. Saku nudged her elbow into his side.

“We should get something to eat, we have been sleeping most of the day, after all,” Saku grinned.

\--

Fujin crashed into the wall, his jaw throbbing. He looked  up, staring at Danzo who was standing in the middle of the room, his cane still in the pose for another strike.

Fujin attempted to move, but the seal Danzo had slammed on his back the moment he’d entered was restricting him greatly. It felt like a botched paralysis seal, rather than freezing him, it just sends jolts of electricity through him. 

“Disobey and you’ll be punished,” Danzo bellowed. “It’s not a hard concept to grasp, is it?”

Fujin grinned. “Fuck you,” he spat.

Danzo was in front of him in a flicker, the cane slamming into the side of his head. The old man grabbed Fujin’s shirt, pulling him into the air. He was surprisingly strong for a man who was probably reaching his nineties. How was he even alive?

Fujin’s vision swam, and he could feel something warm dripping down from the side of his head. 

“You are wasting both of our time,” Fujin wheezed. “If you’re not here to give me some shitty task, then you might as well let me get back to it before my friends get suspicious,” 

Danzo snarled, throwing him back down on the ground before he slammed his cane down on Fujin’s abdomen. Fujin coughed, the air knocked out of him. 

“I’ll do with you however I please,” Danzo said. “Unless you want me to ship you off to  Orochimaru along with your comrades. I’m certain that  Orochimaru will never let the three of you in the same room again until he has broken every little shred of will in your tiny bodies,” 

Fujin glared up at him, and all that earned him was another kick to the face. Danzo lifted a hand, and two Root agents flickered into sight next to him.

“Beat him until he stops talking, I’ll be back with Karin afterwards in case you almost kill him,” 

Fujin was about to say something when he felt a sharp pain to his neck, an unknown substance pushing into his veins. It burned. It burned like hellfire. A muffled scream escaped him. He would not let Danzo have the satisfaction of hearing him lose control over himself. 

He stared up at the masks of the Root agents. A boiling anger surged through him, pushing back whatever substance they had injected.

“Lord Danzo!” One of the agents shouted, but before he could continue his sentence a gurgle escaped his mouth. A clawed hand pushing through his throat. 

“So, the fox makes an appearance,” Danzo murmured. He made a single hand sign, and suddenly, Fujin, despite seeing red with rage, suddenly felt a heavy weight on top of him. It was like he was being pushed down, and yet he moved, but it wasn’t him. Something was controlling him. 

He moved backwards, suddenly forced against a wall as the remaining root agent quickly put chains up around his wrist. A paper was slammed onto his forehead. Fujin swore. A seal. 

He would’ve expected it to knock him out completely, but the man removed it soon after the anger had left him. 

“We don’t want you asleep,” Danzo said, his voice sickeningly soft. “These chains were made for your father, you know,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to acquire the  Kyuubi, and made preparations long before he could walk. Unfortunately, the Third was quite adapt at protecting him, despite completely neglecting him otherwise,” Danzo clicked his tongue. “It doesn’t matter now,” he said. “I have you, and it’s clear that the only way to break you is through proper tutelage,” Danzo stated. 

He lifted Fujin’s shirt, revealing the mess of scars that covered his torso. “Like done before,” he murmured.

“You can’t keep me here,” Fujin snarled. “They will notice,” he stated. 

“No doubt,” Danzo said. “But knowing you, you have made sure they won’t suspect anything,”

“Not long term,” Fujin stated. “And the shadow clone could disappear at any minute, I can’t say being tossed around is the best way to keep them active,” he said. 

Danzo frowned. “Discovery is your doom, Fujin,”

“It will be the downfall for both of us, Danzo,” Fujin shot back.

Danzo’s frown grew into a glare, and with a swift movement, he lodged a kunai into Fujin’s shoulder. Fujin glared back at him, biting the side of his lip so hard to stop himself from uttering a single sound. He felt the metallic taste of blood quickly appear. 

“Step carefully, Namikaze,” Danzo whispered. “You don’t know what you’re messing with,”

Fujin spat, a mixture of blood and saliva hitting  Danzo’s clothing. 

The handle of a kunai slammed into the side of his head, knocking him out.

\--

Naegi was concerned. 

He knew that now that Fujin had told them everything, he didn’t have to leave a  bloodclone to take his place if he didn’t think he’d be away for a long-term mission. The only reason to leave a clone would be to keep up appearances. However, it was disturbing to not know where Fujin was or what he was doing. He wouldn’t be away for long, probably, but it had been some hours now. It was nearing midnight, and Saku had gone to bed.  Naegi wasn’t certain if she was asleep, but she had decided that pacing the living room wouldn’t help at all, and she would much rather pretend that she was calm. 

It was an interesting sentiment, and not really one  Naegi had expected from her. But he could feel his own exhaustion in his bones, and  remembered that Saku most likely had felt that since they woke up after using the  Ketsugou . 

He had continued his pacing, however. He was pretty sure he was starting to wear down the floor, if he was to be honest. 

While he was certainly angry at Fujin, because the other boy had a tendency to be way too much of a hassle than what he strictly needed to be, and not to mention that  Naegi couldn’t help but to be angry that Fujin continued to subject himself to working for Danzo and being so terrible close to being discovered by Orochimaru. 

And yet here he was, worried out of his mind because God dammit couldn’t he come home already? Send a clone with a message on what was going on? A note?

Naegi sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. 

Arima had  retreated back to the attic. While he wasn’t trapped up there, he had made it into a functional living room, enjoying that more than having a normal room. He liked having the upper hand, he said.  Naegi knew it was a  joke, but it annoyed the hell out of him.

So, he was alone. Most of the lights had been turned off for the  nigth , only leaving on a few nightlights they had scattered around the house. It was mostly for Saku’s sake, who still couldn’t stand the darkness. 

He went to the kitchen, grabbing a glass from a cupboard before pouring himself some water. He wouldn’t be able to sleep unless he got  _ some  _ word from Fujin. A part of him wished he didn’t know about Danzo right now. It was the first time Fujin went out and he did know, and it was nerve wracking. 

Was this how their parents felt every time their kids went out on missions? Even worse, his uncle Ryuusuke  actually sent them out because he was the Uzukage? How could he deal with that pressure?

Naegi sighed again. It was this time when he heard the door open slowly.  Naegi hurried over back to the hallway, seeing Fujin step in. He looked completely unharmed, but his movements were weird. Fujin opened his eyes, and it was then  Naegi saw how exhausted he looked. It was nothing about his actual appearance, because he looked fine, but his gaze... it was empty. 

“ Naegi ,” Fujin whispered. His voice was hoarse. He limped forwards, a hand clutched around his side. He didn’t quite make it to  Naegi’s side before he collapsed.  Naegi sprang forwards, dropping his glass and hearing it shatter as it hit the ground. Fujin wheezed, lifting his shirt to reveal a seal. 

Naegi didn’t know a lot about seals, but Fujin had told him how to quickly deactivate one. (It was much simpler than creating them, to be honest, but it depended on how advanced the seal was, and this one wasn’t particularly strong.)

With a burst of chakra, the seal shattered. Fujin almost seem to flicker, before a  genjutsu seemed to disappear from him.

Naegi felt sick.

The stench of blood and bile was the first thing he noticed. Fujin’s shirt was torn in multiple places, and the cuts that had clearly been there had been roughly healed. The blood hadn’t even dried properly, and Fujin’s usually gravity-defying hair stuck to his head, glued by the blood that probably had come from a series of head wounds. 

He was bruised. Had a cut lip. His leg looked like it had taken a beating, but it wasn’t broken. His ribs however, seemed to be clearly shattered. 

Naegi didn’t waste any time to force Fujin to bite down on his arm. Fujin had barely a weak protest in him, and  Naegi knew that he and Saku hated to use his powers, but this wasn’t the time to argue. He knew Fujin would continue to be exhausted though, as his healing abilities didn’t deal with stamina. He helped Fujin up, making sure that the other was leaning most of his weight on  Naegi . He helped Fujin up the stairs and to the bedroom, were Saku quickly jumped out of bed as she saw the state Fujin was in. 

“Let’s get him cleaned up first,” Saku said weakly.  Naegi nodded. Saku went to Fujin’s other side, helping  Naegi carry him into the bathroom. 

“Do you think this was a mission?” Saku asked as  Naegi got Fujin dressed down. Fujin seemed to have passed out by the time they had gotten there, and Naegi wasn’t sure if it was good or not.

“No,”  Naegi said, the anger in his voice clear. “Fujin doesn’t let this happen during missions. This was Danzo, I have no doubt,” 

“But - Fujin’s supposed to be his ally, right?!” Saku exclaimed. Naegi shrugged.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t know,”

“We can’t let him go back,” Saku said, clutching Naegi’s shoulder.

“I don’t know how much of a choice we have. We need evidence. We need to make sure our families are safe before we can make a move, and that without endangering Fujin or alerting  Orochimaru ,”  Naegi whispered. 

“But-!”

“I know, alright?!”  Naegi exclaimed. Hot tears pressed behind his eyes. “I don’t like it any more than you do!” He clutched Fujin closer to him. “But right now, this is all we can do,”

“I hate this,” Saku said.

“Me too,”


	18. Training!

Fujin woke up the next morning feeling very much okay. He found both  Naegi and Saku cuddled up to his side, Saku literally clutching onto him, where  Naegi just laid right next to him. 

Fujin smiled, content in feeling them close to him. Despite last night’s events, Fujin felt at ease.  As long as he was with Saku and  Naegi , he would be fine.

“Naegi, Saku, we have a team meeting, remember,” Fujin said softly. Saku cracked an eye open, still half asleep.

“What time is it?” She asked, yawning. Fujin glanced over to the clock on the wall.

“Late. We were supposed to be there an hour ago,” Fujin murmured. Saku stared at him for a bit.

“Oh,” she said. 

“Yeah,”

Saku’s energy flared back to life, and she quickly got out of the bed and hurried into the bathroom. Fujin turned to look at  Naegi , who was still asleep.

“Hey,” Fujin said, poking  Naegi’s cheek.  Naegi slowly opened his eyes, barely keeping them open as he softly glared at Fujin.

“Too early,” he said. 

“I know, but Kenji-sensei wanted to meet us at dawn, and that was like an hour ago,” Fujin said.  Naegi groaned, rolling over and facing away from Fujin. Fujin shook his head. He sat up and almost threw himself over Naegi, laying over his torso.

“Fujin! Get off!” Naegi wheezed.

“Are you awake?” Fujin asked with a grin. He heard  Naegi huff a laugh out.

“Yes, you prick, I’m awake,”  Naegi groaned. Fujin rolled off  Naegi , chuckling as  Naegi’s bedhead grew ten times worse.

“Let’s get ready, hopefully Kenji-sensei won’t punish us too much,”

-

He was wrong. He was so  _ so _ wrong.

Kenji hadn’t been outwardly angry, but he had this silent very much threatening aura. And even though  Naegi whispered to him the events of the night before, Kenji did not bat an eye.

He had them run laps until they collapsed. It took almost the entire day. 

“I’m going to lay out the plans,” Kenji said as the three of them laid on the ground, panting heavily.

“You three are closer to  chuunin level now, but we are going to make you stronger. Much stronger. You are going to be the strongest ninja of this generation, maybe ever. The sannin? They will be pale comparisons to what I’ll make you,” Kenji pointed at Saku.

“You’re good at  taijutsu , but you have no form. You need to learn  genjutsu , otherwise you’re disregarding a huge factor of your  sharingan . You need discipline. You need to learn to control your chakra better, because unlike the boys you don’t have a seemingly vast supply of it. You need to know how to use it to its absolute best  ability, and expand upon it. You also got to learn how to use the other elemental chakras. Fire isn’t enough,” Kenji stated. “I’ve arranged three additional teachers for you, Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuuga Hiashi and Hatake Kakashi, here is your schedule and program,” Kenji threw a scroll at Saku, and it hit her straight in the face. She didn’t even have the energy to complain about it.

“ Naegi , I don’t care how much chakra you have. You need to learn how to use actual weapons, properly. Also, you have so much chakra that your lack of ninjutsu is almost mocking. Also,  taijutsu . You need a form as well. We’re going to utilize every skill you have to its fullest ability and build upon it. I can see it in my mind where I want you to go, and I have found the teachers that will help me achieve that. You will also be training with Kakashi, but also Haruno Sakura, your mother, Maito Gai, Gekko Hayate , Ten Ten and Uchiha  Itachi ,” Kenji said. He threw yet another scroll at  Naegi , but he managed to weakly block it from his face and it dropped down on his chest instead.

“And you squirt, you have many of the same issues as the others, and I’ve made sure that you have the best coverage in the skills you need to learn, but you have a particular problem that needs focus. You’ll be training with Namikaze Minato, Kakashi and Gai,” Kenji said briefly. He dropped a scroll at Fujin’s legs.

“All three of you will learn a proper  taijutsu form. All three of you will master all the five elemental chakras. All three of you will improve upon the techniques you have, in addition to learning new ones. Why have I made sure you have additional teachers? Because while I will drive you to the ground on every basic, these teachers will help you grow your individual needs. The schedule details the rotation you’ll have on the week. In the mornings, we will work you to the bone. We’ll have an hour lunch and then do as many missions as we can in four hours. After this, you’ll go to your individual teachers for the day. You’ll be done before eight in the evening, which lets you rest up and relax for quite some time,” Kenji explained. 

“What kind of missions will we do?” Saku asked weakly.

“D-ranks,” Kenji stated.

“What?!” The three of them chorused. “D-ranks are chores! You said it yourself, we’re  chuunin level! Why do we get assigned D-ranks?!”

“Because if you want to achieve the trust of the villagers, you need to interact with them,” Kenji stated hard. 

“What is it that the three of you want?” He asked. “What are your goals? Where do you want to be in the future?” He glared down at the three of them.

“I’m going to protect my precious people,” Saku said proudly. She sat up, grinning widely. “Who knows in what way I’ll do that when I get older, but I want them all to be safe, the ones that I have. I won’t lose anyone again,” she said. She looked over at  Naegi , who smiled confidently at Kenji. They had discussed this during their  genin exam. This was how they passed, essentially.

“I’m going to find peace,”  Naegi said. “And I’m going to have the strength to keep it,” he said. Fujin looked at him, mildly shocked. He hadn’t really expected  Naegi to have such conviction. He had seemed so... unsure, to put it mildly. However, Fujin couldn’t help but to feel proud. Proud that both his friends had found something strong to believe in. Their will of fire, as his father had told him. Saku and  Naegi turned to look at him expectantly.

“I’m going to become  Hokage ,” 

\--

Naegi stared at Fujin. There was something that he noticed had shifted. Fujin had never had any goals. He’d just been like ‘we’ll take it when we get there’ the whole time. Or perhaps not like that really, but he just seemed to not believing in the future, even though he always made plans for possible outcomes. 

And now here he was, the sun giving his hair this otherworldly glow and his eyes practically shined with conviction. And  Naegi realized exactly that while he and Saku had adapted quickly to Konoha, and really made themselves at home there almost without even trying, Fujin had finally gotten there as well. 

“ Hokage , huh?” Kenji asked, a smirk playing on his lips. “Not too bad of a goal. None of you do,” he continued. “Strong goals are hard to achieve and needs the strongest of wills to complete. Have no fear, you follow my instructions, and you will get there,” Kenji said. He looked over the three  genin in front of him, his eyes gleaming with something  Naegi couldn’t quite decipher.

“The peacekeeper, the protector and the  Hokage ,” he chuckled. “We’re going to train for a few more hours. I’m going to tell you an exercise, and you’re going to do it until I say otherwise, or you drop,” Kenji said. He grinned, and  Naegi felt himself regretting that extra hour of sleep with each passing minute. “However, we first have to eat something. Here,” 

Kenji passed out lunch boxes to each one of them. Inside, a simple, yet nutritional meal was inside. It didn’t surprise  Naegi that this was the meal provided, but he was  grateful, nonetheless. 

“Fujin,” Saku said, her mouth full of food. Naegi chuckled.

“Saku, I can’t understand anything if you don’t swallow the food in your mouth first,” Fujin stated. Saku quickly swallowed, for a moment looking like she was going to choke on it all. Her impatience really was going to kill her, and probably in the  most silly way, like deciding jumping down a cliff would be faster than climbing it down. 

“When did you decide on becoming  hokage ?” Saku asked finally. Fujin hummed. 

“After the graduation exam,” Fujin said. “I thought about what I wanted to do and well, it just  sorta hit me? It’s hard to explain exactly how I  came to the conclusion but, I just want to create someplace safe. Safe for everyone,”

“We all have grand plans,”  Naegi said softly. “Our only option is to be the greatest,”

“Better than our parents! More renowned than the  sannin !” Saku exclaimed, jumping to her feet. 

“Not unless you finish your food so that we can continue training,” Kenji stated. Saku fell into a sitting position quickly, quickly pushing food back into her mouth. Fujin laughed, and  Naegi was yet again surprised by it. He of course wanted Fujin to laugh often, and heartily, but he was never really prepared for when it happened.

They finished their lunch, and Kenji quickly got them back on their feet.

“Prepare yourselves,” he said, and his grin returned.

\--

By the time they were done, all three of them were hurting in one way or another. Kenji had not been joking, and while Fujin had originally assumed that he would make them do a chakra style exercise, which in all honesty wouldn’t have been that horrible, it turns out Kenji wanted them to do push ups  and other physical exercises  on the river that flowed through the training ground. It was both physically straining, as well mentally straining  for the amount of focus they had to put in to charge chakra to their feet and hands at the same time for a prolonged time period. 

“You did well,” Kenji said. “We’ll meet again tomorrow at dawn. Do not be late,” he said.

This time, Fujin decided that overnight missions be damned. He would never ever be late to a meeting with his new master ever again.

“Let’s head home,” Saku moaned. She latched herself onto  Naegi , who didn’t have the energy to shrug her off, but neither to move with her on him. Fujin crossed his fingers, a shadow clone popping into existence and relieved  Naegi of the extra weight. 

“You can’t create one for me too?”  Naegi asked. Fujin rolled his eyes, another shadow clone quickly going to support. Luckily for them, shadow clones didn’t hold the same exhaustion as its caster did. But Fujin was adamant to not use a clone for himself. Call him proud or  bull-headed , he wouldn’t show weakness to the village. 

They went on their way, the trip to the house taking much longer than what they were used to. Upon entering, the three promptly collapsed in the living room. It was rather late, and they should probably get something to eat again, though none of them  actually  _ wanted _ __ to move and do any of the things they should do. 

“How come I have so many teachers anyway,”  Naegi moaned. He couldn’t even remember all of them at this point.

Fujin’s brain would under normal circumstances be able to find the logical solution to that. Probably something along the lines of ‘ Naegi having so much areas to work around (especially weapons) and mastering the most he can of most would be the best’.

But it was not a normal circumstance, because Fujin was tired. Very tired. 

“Probably ‘cos everyone wants to teach you,” he yawned. “I dunno,”

“I have to train with the head of the Hyuuga clan though, how on earth did Kenji-sensei convince him to do that?” Saku asked.

“Hiashi  ain’t the head anymore. His daughter Hinata took over after being a  jonin for some time or something,” Fujin said. “Ya know, Hitomi’s mother,”

“Ahh, that’s right,” Saku said. 

“I wonder how  Hitomi did on her test,”  Naegi said, looking up at the ceiling. 

Fujin looked over at  him, a playful smile on his lips. He was about to say something when a pillow flung at his face. 

“Hey!” He shouted. He looked over the couch, seeing Arima standing there, very guiltily. 

“I invited my teammates,” Arima said, pointing behind him where  Asuka and Mizuko standing in the doorway.

“We’re ordering food then,” Fujin said. “Hey guys,” he  greeted quickly.

“What happened to you three?”  Asuka asked, finding a seat next to Fujin. Mizuko managed to find one by Saku, who was very much sprawled over her couch. It was  nothing short of a miracle. 

“Kenji-sensei likes to push us to the edge,”  Naegi groaned. “He had us working out the entire day. We just came back,” 

“Suck it up,” Arima said. “It’s nothing you can’t handle. You were in the pit most of the day too,” 

“See, the pit doesn’t require you to do  pushups on water until you drop. Or drown, I suppose,” Fujin huffed. 

“The pit?”  Asuka asked. The rest of the room shared glances with each other. They had kind of forgotten she didn’t know what it was. 

“ Uhh ,” Fujin said. “Everyone cool with telling?”

“It’s not really a secret,” Naegi shrugged. The others murmured in agreement. 

“Yeah, so, we basically all trained at Orochimaru’s secret village somewhere. The pit was a fighting pit where most of us battled,”

“I didn’t really battle,” Mizuko said. “My  genjutsu was his priority, so he had me test it out rather than risking me dying,” 

“I didn’t spend so much time in the pit while you three were there,” Arima said. “At that point I was doing missions for the snake,” 

“Hold up,”  Asuka said. “You were all trained at  Orochimaru’s ? When? At least you three went to the academy!” 

“We didn’t come to Konoha again before we were eight. We were at  Orochimaru’s since we were six,” Saku stated. 

“I can’t remember when I first got there. Probably lived there all my life. I escaped roughly a year ago,” Arima said. 

“I came back around a year ago too, though I was taken when I was about seven. At that point, the village was still searching for the other three, despite a year having passed. I don’t remember it that clearly, but the academy had been on a field trip. And yeah, an agent of  Orochimaru managed to pretty much pick me up and run,” Mizuko shrugged.

“It’s so nice that we’re all talking about our trauma, but I don’t think it’s necessary to dig so much into it,”  Naegi pressed, noticing how everyone grew slightly more restless. 

“That’s why you’re so strong!”  Asuka said, pointing at Arima. He chuckled, lifting his arms in defence.

“I’m also a bit older than you,” he said. “That counts as well. And you weren’t allowed to even practice ninja arts up until that incident,”

“Fair enough,”  Asuka huffed. “At least our team is only filled with weirdos. Though not as much as you guys,” she said, looking at Saku,  Naegi and Fujin with mirthful eyes. 

“Hey! We’re not weird,” Fujin argued. 

“Don’t you have notes on almost all our classmates’ strength and weaknesses?”

“That’s beneficial. A ninja is always prepared,”

“It’s creepy,”  Asuka laughed. 

“Anyways,” Fujin said, standing up. “I’m sending a clone for food. We should also get out of these clothes, Saku, Naegi,” Fujin said. He loosely gestured to their dirty and relatively smelly clothing.

“Yeah, I hear ya,” Saku said. “I take the shower first,” she said, making her way towards the stairs. It was a remarkably slow pace for Saku. She actually walked at the speed of a normal person.

The rest of the evening went undisturbed, and to say that Fujin, Saku and  Naegi fell asleep quickly was an understatement. Because while  Naegi had been smart and gone to bed early, making sure that he slept where he should, Saku fell asleep on top of Arima, mid-conversation, meaning that she had been talking as she usually did, before promptly collapsing over his lap, earning quite the laugh from the remaining people there. Meaning Fujin. 

Mizuko and  Asuka had gone home before  Naegi had decided to turn in, after all, they realized quite quickly that the house was going to go dark pretty soon. 

Fujin, however, had not moved a single inch for most of the night. He was sitting there, eyes lazily fixed in front of him.

It took Arima about an hour to realize that he had fallen asleep with his eyes open. 

It sucks that neither of them is especially talkative in that sense. They could both go several hours without speaking a word to each other. It was just luck that Arima had asked Fujin if he could help Saku into bed. (Arima was quite shy, for some reason, not wanting to help Saku change.)

Anyways, Arima managed to get both Fujin and Saku to bed, though he let them wear the fresh clothing they had put on. It wasn’t his fault they would have to do more laundry. 

At least they all got a good night’s rest.

\----

D-ranks sucked. 

Fujin understood that they were necessary but that didn’t mean he had to like it. 

At least he, Saku and  Naegi became rather well liked among the farmers in the outskirts of Konoha.  Something that at least Kenji was quite fond of. It was a part of his training plan, and he was most likely enjoying just seeing that it worked. 

They were still in the  farmland, the sun made the wheat glow a strong golden so that it was almost blinding. It was very peaceful, as well. It took nearly a day when walking to get out to Konoha’s farms, since you had to first travel out of the heavy forest. For a ninja it was just a few hours, hence why it was often the location of most D-ranks. It let the fresh  genin get used to travelling distances, like jumping in the trees or just maintaining your energy. Not that their team had any need of that. 

“The last mission of the day is to help one of the farmers closer to the forest set up a fence. He’s had some trouble with smaller animals making their way to his crops,” Kenji said. Fujin had yet to  actually make a profile of his teacher. And that was bothersome, considering that reading people was one of the things Fujin considered himself rather good at. Kenji gave up nothing, perhaps except smugness and determination. 

“Kenji-sensei, can’t we please not do this for much longer. I don’t think I’ll be able to take even a week of this kind of day,” Saku complained. Kenji lifted an eyebrow at her. He didn’t seem angry, or even that annoyed that she whined about it. It was one of the things that Fujin had expected of him, but yet again he was wrong. 

“Perhaps I didn’t explain it properly,” Kenji said. He still didn’t sound angry, there was a sort of monotone to everything he said. It made it hard to place. “The three of you are quite known, everyone knows that you went missing, and then came back remarkably strong. Even though the details were omitted for your privacy, people talk. That’s not to say that people are distrustful, but they might have some ideas of who you are, or perhaps be wary of you because they think that you could be impostors or spies, which is all reasonable paranoia when you live in a ninja village,” Kenji continued. He led them down a rather uneven road, perhaps not even a road, it was more like a path. In the distance, Fujin could see a rather old, yet well maintained farmstead.

“Of course, there was a long period of peace following the war, but that peace was disrupted the moment the three of you were kidnapped, and other children as well, though most of them weren’t from Konoha,” he stated. “People are uneasy, especially since the incident with Kakei  Sumire , it’s the closest thing we had come to a village scale crisis since the Chuunin exam invasion many years ago,”

Fujin hummed. “The invasion by Suna and Oto,” he said. Saku and Naegi exchanged glances, they seemed uneasy. Perhaps it was because they knew that  Orochimaru was the one behind it. Fujin wasn’t exactly sure how much they had covered in the academy. 

“Yes,” Kenji said. “My point is, with the three of you there has been unfortunate events around for some time. The villagers, who’s only info on you is based on rumours and what they maybe  hears from their own children from the academy or acquaintances, needs to get to meet you and build trust to you based on their own perspective. If they all have positive experiences with you, then they will counter the rumours with their own statements, making your popularity in the village quickly increase. Especially since we are doing so many missions,” Kenji finished. 

“Doesn’t mean that we should do so many D-ranks,” Saku huffed. “Can’t we just have shadow clones do it?” She asked. 

Before Kenji could answer, the farmer spotted them as they had arrived at the farm. 

“You must be team seven!” The farmer said with a smile. He looked... unkempt, Fujin figured. Dirty clothing,  pretty traditional by the looks of it. Most farmers nowadays used more overalls with tons of pockets and toolbelts. This man wore loose pants and a  haori , even though the seams seem to start being torn apart, and the edges of his sleeves had seen better days. Yet, the place was  pretty big , despite being pressed towards the forest. Well kept, something Fujin wouldn’t really expect to see. There didn’t seem to be any other workers there, so this man would have worked on it all by himself by the looks of things. Or perhaps he hired shinobi often. 

“That we are,” Kenji said. “My name is Sasaki Kenji, I’m the captain of this squad. This is Namikaze Fujin, Nara Saku and Uzumaki Naegi,” 

“Yes, I know their names. They’ve made quite the word of themselves around here,” the farmer said. “My name is Tanaka, I’ve put all the fences where they should be placed, and the connecting planks right by them. You’re free to start whenever you want, I’ll be here if you have any questions,” Tanaka said. Saku looked at Fujin with nearly begging eyes, he shrugged in reply, looking over at  Naegi with the same questioning glance. 

“Kenji-sensei,”  Naegi said. “Can we use clones for the fence itself?” He asked. Kenji nodded. The three  genin crossed their fingers, a series of clouds made of smoke appeared around them. Saku, despite having more chakra than most  chuunin , still had much less than Fujin and  Naegi had. She didn’t use more than five clones at a time. It wasn’t her limit, but they preferred to spare as much as they could of energy. (In case of emergency, Fujin had already lost an arm, they didn’t need any more situations like that).  Naegi created ten clones, and Fujin did the same. The clones quickly grabbed enough nails for their own fence post, and as Tanaka was about to mention how he didn’t have enough hammers for all of them,  Naegi quickly created sets of golden chakra hammers. Amazing use of his abilities. 

The originals stared back at Kenji, waiting for him to give them any orders. 

“I thought clones were only illusions?” Tanaka asked. 

“Most are, at least clones made by  genin ,” Fujin stated. “These are shadow clones, which is a forbidden  jutsu by Konoha standards due to the excessive amount of chakra it uses. It creates physical copies of the caster, though much weaker physically. The three of us have more chakra than most chuunin, so we can use it. We learned the technique from my father,” Fujin said. It wasn’t entirely true, seeing how he learned the jutsu from Orochimaru. But his father also knew the jutsu, so it was safer to say that than anything else. “In additions, there are elemental clones, all with different effects due to their natures. Then you have exploding clones, blood clones, and cloning jutsu that are specific to some bloodlines or clans, like the Beast clone technique, which gives an  Inuzuka’s ninja dog the ability to  tranform or clone itself into his master, keeping the physical properties of a human, despite being larger or smaller than the master,” Fujin explained.

Tanaka didn’t really seem to understand what Fujin just explained, but at least he got the main point. There were many clones. Fujin, Saku and  Naegi could create more workers for him, without increasing the cost.

They ended up eating lunch while they waited, Tanaka providing them a sweet drink that he had apparently made himself using the different things that he grew on this farm. It ranged all from fruit to berries, he even kept some animals and had his own bees. This was in addition to the normal wheat crop that he kept. His wife owned a bakery in which they used his goods, and he was happy to provide some samples. 

And though Fujin was sure he’d regret filling Saku up with sugar, he figured that he could just hand her over to Arima if she didn’t expend it all during their individual training later. 

And within the time that their meal was done, so was the fence. 

“Are you  gonna paint it too?”  Naegi asked. Tanaka laughed. 

“Not now, I haven’t bought the paint yet,” he said. “Maybe I’ll call upon you when that time comes,” 

“Go ahead,” Kenji said. Fujin eyed him carefully. He was too damned nonchalant. It was basically impossible to read into his motives.

There was suddenly a pop, and they saw as one of Saku’s clones had disappeared, only one of the real hammers remaining in her stead. 

“She tripped!” The other Saku clones yelled in unison. They almost sounded proud, despite it being them. 

“And that is why we don’t send clones alone to D-ranks,” Kenji said. Perhaps he was even a bit amused?

\--

They were gathered back at training ground seven, waiting patiently for their instructors of the day to show. Kenji was meditating by the river, perfectly silent.  Naegi noted that Fujin had kept an eye on their teacher all day, carrying that same narrowed look at him.  Naegi knew that Fujin liked to know everything about everyone that they interacted with, at least to a degree in which he knew that he could trust them. While  Naegi understood his line of thought, he had a feeling that their teacher was trustworthy. Perhaps not especially caring or personal, but he took their training very seriously, and didn’t treat them like normal kids. Naegi appreciated that. 

“Nara Saku,” a gruff voice sounded.  Naegi turned around, seeing an old man by the edge of the training ground. He had long, straight hair. And though he was very old, he had a posture and a gaze that radiated power. He was accompanied by another male, who was clearly related to him, but much younger. 

“Lord Hiashi,” Kenji greeted. He stood up, beckoning Saku to come over. “Thank you for agreeing to this,” he said with a bow. 

“No need for that, Sasaki,” Hiashi said. He looked at Saku. “I’ve come to understand it that you possess the  byakugan ?” He asked. Saku nodded. 

“Among other things,” she said. She seemed nervous.  Naegi could understand it. There was something somewhat threatening about Hiashi. To be honest, he seemed to be the exact opposite of Saku. Where Saku had too much energy, this man didn’t seem to have much of it. He was like a rock. 

“We will train at the Hyuuga compound, please follow me,” Hiashi said. Saku nodded, looking back at  Naegi and Fujin. She offered them a wave, before running up to Hiashi who had already began to walk away, the other man following two paces behind. 

“Who was that other guy?” Naegi asked. Fujin hummed. 

“Hyuuga Neji. He’s  Hitomi’s mother’s cousin, though apparently the relationship is much closer than that. If I remember correctly, Neji and Hinata regard each other as siblings,” Fujin said.

“Ah, yeah, I remember  Hitomi mentioning that she had a super strong uncle once,”  Naegi said. “Haven’t seen him before though,”

“Neji works as Lord  Hiashi’s guard when he’s not on missions. He’s one of Konoha’s strongest  jonin ,” Kenji explained. He was about to explain further when a sudden yellow flash appeared behind Fujin.

“Lord Fourth,” Kenji greeted quickly. “Lady Sakura,” 

“No need for that,” Minato said quickly. Fujin was about to greet them as well when Sakura quickly enveloped him in a crushing hug.

“Ma- I can’t breathe-” Fujin stuttered out, trying to wiggle his way out of the embrace.  Naegi laughed, watching as Fujin struggled.

“What are you doing here?”  Naegi asked Minato. The former hokage smiled at him.

“We’re also your teachers,” Minato said. “Sakura there will take you as soon as she is done cuddling Fujin. I’ll be teaching Fujin,” 

“Ah, yeah, I remember now,”  Naegi said. “Kenji-sensei told us this yesterday, but I was too exhausted to actually dig into that,” he chuckled. Kenji sent him an amused glance.

“That’ll cost you two more rounds in the morning,  Naegi ,” he said.  Naegi groaned. 

“Have you been eating properly? How was the graduation exam? I heard  _ he  _ showed up again, are you alright? Did he do anything?” Sakura asked rapidly. Fujin had managed to separate himself from his mother a little bit.

“I’m fine – we're fine, things are fine,” Fujin said. He looked towards Minato. “You have a marker on me?  Of course you have, I thought it was only dad’s,” Fujin mumbled. 

“You should begin,” Kenji said. “I’ll have to file the missions reports for today, so I’ll take my leave,” he continued. Sakura stepped away from Fujin, making her way towards  Naegi .

“Right,” she said. “Have a good day,” she said. 

“You too,” Kenji said and disappeared in a swirl of leaves. 

“We’ll head to the  Hokage’s training ground. I still have access and  Obito let me borrow it for our sessions,” Minato said to Fujin. He placed a hand on his shoulder, and then the two disappeared. 

Naegi turned to look at Sakura. He of course viewed her as an aunt, but he couldn’t say that they knew each other that well. As well as you would expect to know an aunt who lived in a different country when you had been gone for two years. And though they had done the medical ninjutsu training, it was along with Fujin and Saku, so not a lot of one-on-one learning.

“So,  Naegi ,” Sakura said. “I know you have quite the grip on medical ninjutsu again, so we’re not going to go too much into it again. However, we’re not going to ignore it. Our training will be specifically focused towards me and Lady  Tsunade’s special  jutsu , the strength of a hundred seal,” Sakura said. 

“That’s the seal that keeps Tsunade looking so young, right?” Naegi asked. Sakura nodded.

“That’s her own choice,” she noted. “You can decide if you want that function or not,” 

“I don’t think I’m going to worry about that any time soon,” Naegi chuckled. Sakura nodded with a smile.

“Regardless. This technique requires a great deal of chakra control, and you have lots of that. It’s going to take a crazy amount of work. Hence why I’m glad you know the Shadow Clone technique as well. I’ve studied it quite immensely, so I know how to best use it for your benefit in this training, with the help of my husband of course,” she said. “ As well, I’ll teach you the Chakra Enhanced Strength technique, which is also largely based on chakra control,” she explained. “This is quite intense training and can take years to master. However, with every progress made here, it will directly affect your stamina, your physical strength, and your control. This will have positive effects on everything you do in your career,” 

“I understand,”  Naegi said. “When do we start?” 

“Right now,”

\--

Saku stood in the Hyuuga Clan dojo. It was very traditional, and clearly much older than most part of the  village, but maintained on such a high level that it nearly looked new. However, Saku recognized the style from her Academy history book. It looked  exactly the same as it had when it first was built. 

“Activate your  byakugan ,” Hiashi said. He was standing in front of her, arms crossed and staring intensely. Saku did as told. The veins around her eyes bulging and  sharingan spinning to life.

“Interesting,” Hiashi said. “When Kenji mentioned your hybrid  doujutsu , I nearly didn’t believe it. The Hyuuga and the Uchiha has always considered the possibility of merging their eyes, even some attempted it. But it never worked, and eventually we gave up. The hostility between the clans too big to do extensive research,” Hiashi explained shortly. 

“In our training I will teach you the Hyuuga clan techniques. For this sake, you have been made an honorary member of the clan. Much the same way that you are an honorary member of the Uchiha clan, because of your mother,” Hiashi stated. “What do you know the Gentle Fist?” He asked.

“Uhm,” Saku thought for a minute. “ Hitomi pokes people rapidly or hits them with an open palm. I can see her channelling chakra to her palms, and she hits the main parts of the body, paralyzing them temporarily,” she said. 

“That’s nearly correct,” Hiashi said. “The Gentle fist attacks the chakra network by forcing your own chakra into your opponent’s system with surgical  presicion . This can also damage the nearby organs that are intertwined with the network. By using the  byakugan , you  are able to see the chakra network. This allows you to hit the  tenketsu points, this enhances the abilities of the gentle fist. It lets you disrupt the network, not only doing damage but making them unable to use ninjutsu. The gentle fist is effective against any  chakra based substances, as you can use it to slice through chakra with your own. It's important to note that you can channel your chakra through any point in your body,” 

“So I would be able to destroy Naegi’s chakra based weapons with this technique?” 

“I believe so, but if he is anything like his  mother he has much more stamina than you. If you tax yourself too much on destroying his weapons, you’ll exhaust yourself without doing any damage,” Hiashi stated. “This technique is very offensive, but also has defensive properties. Like the Eight Trigrams Palm Rotation. This was originally a secret main branch  technique, but following a major shift in clan policies many years ago, we teach it to all members of the clan,” Hiashi stated. He then paused, walked to the end of the room and removing the jacket he wore over his kimono. 

“The first point we’ll do is see how proficient you are with your eyes. Then, we will work on your chakra control. And then the katas,” Hiashi said. “Most clan children  starts learning this technique the moment they can, you are later. However, your shadow clones will be most helpful with catching up. You aren’t expected to master this technique immediately, but we will make sure that you have a good grip by the time of the  chuunin exam,” he activated his own  byakugan , falling into a stance. “Ready?”

“Hell yeah!”

\--

Fujin took in the area with great intrigue. The  Hokage’s personal training ground was located inside the  hokage mountain, the ANBU headquarters were securely laid out around the area. How did Fujin know this? Well, the fact that the ANBU headquarters was there was technically a secret, but not a secret that was particularly well guarded. Lots of people knew about it, but few knew how to get in, or how to navigate it. The  Hokage’s training grounds was hidden in the same way, layers upon layers of security seals, traps and whatnot. 

It was kind of amazing.

“When Kenji asked Ryuusuke about potential teachers for you, it was mere luck that I was present and could ask to be your primary tutor, other than Kenji, of course,” Minato said. “Ryuusuke and I had of course discussed it, but we figured that we would have to wait until after your  chuunin exam. I’m glad we were able to do it now,” he continued. Fujin cocked his head to the side. He wasn’t entirely sure why it was so interesting to teach him. Perhaps out of grandfatherly love. 

“I am basically retired,” Minato said. “Despite technically being younger than your father,” he laughed shortly. Fujin was about to object, but it wasn’t actually wrong. His father was thirty-eight, while Minato was twenty-eight, though he was born sixty-six years ago. It was confusing, to say the least.

“Why didn’t you begin to serve Konoha again? You were the hokage, isn’t that sort of your thing?” Fujin asked. Minato smiled.

“I have done the greatest honour for the village. I died for it, and my family,” he said. “Though I have one task that remain,” he said. “And that is training you. Call it me wanting to spend time with my grandson, as well as not letting my knowledge go to waste,” Minato chuckled. 

Fujin couldn’t deny that he was excited to work with Minato. He was the Yellow Flash. He was the only one of the  hokage’s , perhaps all  kages , who could call himself an actual Fuinjutsu master. Even Fujin’s father couldn’t hold a candle to him. And that was perhaps the biggest testament to his abilities. Minato had also created the  rasengan , which continued to be one of the strongest techniques out there, and the peak of shape transformation.

“I’m going to teach you everything,” Minato said. His blue eyes suddenly steeled, and Fujin, despite always knowing it, re-realised that he was in the presence of an actual legend. Stronger than  Orochimaru . Minato had beaten the snake for the seat of  Hokage . He had defeated the Kyuubi, a terrifying force of nature. 

“We’re going to have clones continue studying Fuinjutsu. I know that you are already on an extremely high level, especially compared to your age. But you need to learn more. Much more. I want you to be able to create seals without having to even draw them. You can create seals with your chakra, and when you have the greatest control, you can create one with only a tap. Of course, there are seals that require certain things, but those are only the strongest ones, like the seal I used to seal the kyuubi,”

“That was more than one seal though, wasn’t it?” Fujin asked. Minato nodded. 

“That was the  eight trigram sealing style, which is two four trigram seals overlapping. I myself used the Death Reaper seal to separate the Yin and Yang chakra of the  kyuubi , sealing the Yin chakra in myself. The part that you are currently hosting,” Minato said. Fujin looked to the ground. The seal on his stomach suddenly feeling heavy.

“The Demon Dragon Seal,” Fujin murmured. Minato looked at him, his expression somewhere between sad and comforting. It was difficult to say. 

“Unfortunately, neither me nor Ryuusuke have been able to decipher exactly how it works yet,” Minato said softly. He walked over, placing his hands on Fujin’s shoulders. “But we will,” 

“ Orochimaru must have made the seal so that I would easily be able to access the Kyuubi,” Fujin said. “It keeps leaking through,” he murmured. 

“You will learn to control it,” Minato said. “With time.”

Fujin sighed. There wasn’t enough time. It was only a matter of time before he  actually snapped and hurt someone. He had almost done that already. On more than one occasion. 

“ Ryuusuke didn’t learn to control it in the longest time either,  and according to what I learned, he was highly unstable when he was older than what you are now,” Minato said. “You can’t expect to be at the same level control when you haven’t even been a  jinchuuriki all your life,” 

“That doesn’t mean that it’s okay to lose control like this,” Fujin stated, crossing his arms.

“I know,” Minato said. “But we will work with that as well,” he clapped his hands. “Right, so, as I said, I’m going to teach you everything I know. You’ll have five clones working on your  fuinjutsu studies all the time we train together, and preferable in your off time as well. The more you practice this art, the better you will be. You don’t need resting days for reading the same way you do physical exercises or chakra exercises,” Minato said with a wink. 

“I know you will do physical training with Gai, so I will leave that to him. With me, you will be working on the rasengan. It is time you were taught it,” Minato said. Fujin looked up at him, the excitement clear in his eyes.

He had always wanted to learn the rasengan. 

“Mind you that this is only the beginning, and with the  rasengan , I also have a special task for you,”

“What is that?” Fujin asked. Minato smiled at him, a knowing glint in his eye.

“It’s a secret for now. You’ll have to master the technique first,” 


	19. Family dinner

“I can’t believe Kenji-sensei managed to gather all these people,”  Naegi said. He was lying on the couch, his clothes dirty and torn from hours upon training with sharp things. 

“I guess he really wants to give you that repertoire for your chakra weapons,” Fujin chuckled.  Naegi looked over at him, clearly non-existent. 

“But I don’t only train with weapons, I have that super training with Sakura, which is the majority of the week, and then there’s Gai, who’s an absolute monster-”

“I know, I have him too,” Fujin muttered. He shuddered. That spandex would be a curse on his life forever.

“And then I have  Hayate ,  Itachi and Ten  Ten just to teach me how to use weapons,” Naegi huffed.

“How did he even get  Itachi to do anything? I thought he’d be too busy helping out my dad,” Fujin said. He stood up from his seat, heading over to the kitchen. He got a pair of glasses and filled them with water before heading back to  Naegi . He handed him a glass, which  Naegi took gratefully.

“Not to mention that my mom also wants me to work on how to use the chakra chains in battle properly, and how to unleash its sealing capabilities,”  Naegi said. Fujin frowned. He didn’t know about the details of  Naegi’s bloodline, but he had heard from Minato that his grandmother also had the ability. It helped him restrict the  kyuubi , which was vital in its defeat. If  Naegi managed to get that restriction under control, then he’d be able to take Fujin down if necessary. 

“Where’s Saku?” Fujin asked. He had gotten back to the couch, leaning back.

“She’s training in the Uchiha compound. With Uchiha Sasuke,” 

“That’s cool,” Fujin said. “ Sasuke is one of the strongest  ninja out there, I suppose it’s for her  sharingan ,” he said. Naegi nodded. 

“Why not train with her mom though?”  Naegi asked. Fujin glanced over at the wall, where rows of photos were lined up. Family pictures, most of them, but a team photo from yesterday’s registration had also been put up. 

“Aunt Eon is the head of interrogation and torture department,” Fujin said. “And though there isn’t much to do in that sense nowadays, she’s also one of the  hokage’s advisors. I’d say that she makes herself busy. She doesn’t exactly give off the vibe as someone who wants to sit and do nothing all day. And then there’s also Nagito to consider,” Fujin said. 

“I thought Uncle  Yachi was the stay-at-home dad,”  Naegi chuckled. Fujin hummed.

“Largely, but Uncle  Yachi’s services are often required up at the training facility. Not to mention that he’s the head of research, and  has to approve a ton of shit,” Fujin said. “When I was doing laps with Gai, I passed him on his way to work, and he for real had  Nagito with him. At least neither him  nor Aunt Eon will let having a toddler stop them from doing their job,” 

“Sounds about right,”  Naegi said. “You’d be the same way,” he added playfully.

“I would not have a child,” Fujin stated. “I’m not wired for that. Could you imagine me trying to teach a kid anything? They can’t do anything – they're completely helpless! I don’t have the patience for that.” Fujin imagined himself sitting in front of a baby, waiting for it to say anything remotely intelligent, only to get a gurgle as reply. 

“Aunt Eon did fine, and she’s also very much more logical than your average person,”  Naegi said. “At least that’s what my mom said,” he added. He let it be unsaid that he had talked about Fujin with his mom, and how annoying it was that Fujin had to do all that logic-thinking-wacko-doo before they could do anything, and his mom had said that she had often thought the same way with Eon. Though Eon was less paranoid than what Fujin was, but she was also  more fierce in the way she made things happen. Motivated Naras were fucking monsters.

Luckily, Saku wasn’t that smart. If  Naegi had to deal with a smart-Nara and Fujin, he’d probably die of boredom. They’d spend half the day thinking tactics.

It had been just a few days since graduation. Even with their pretty insane training regimen, Fujin couldn’t claim that he had noticed a  particular difference in their strength level yet. They sparred against with Kenji, and he always had tons of criticism to give. Of course, he did praise them as well when they did particularly good combos or executed a move at the right time or in the perfect way. He was a strict teacher, but he was fair. 

But it had only been a few days, he couldn’t expect major improvement in that time alone. Unfortunately, because of their multiple teacher setup, Fujin hadn’t had the time to work on the  rasengan alone, which was what he currently wanted to do. He’d gotten to the second stage, and he had made great progress in the one lesson he’d had with it, but it had only been a couple of hours and he couldn’t find the time to practice it excessively. 

The door slammed open, gaining both  Naegi and Fujin’s attention. Saku was in the doorway, bruised and panting heavily. 

“Your mom -” She said, her voice hoarse as she heaved for another breath. “-is a monster,” she walked over to the couch. There was an attempt on climbing over the back of the couch, but rather than climb she sort of just fell over the side of it, crashing into the couch with her face first. 

Fujin snorted, before  Naegi joined him in giggles. The two boys quickly fell into a full-blown laughter. 

“Finally - something that can drain Saku of her energy,” Fujin said between laughs.

“What god do we have to thank for this?”  Naegi said mirthfully. He walked over to Saku, his hands starting to glow with green chakra as he went over the worst bruises. 

“I hate you both,” Saku groaned. 

“Hey! I’m healing you!”

“Let me die instead,” she huffed.

“Sorry, you’re stuck with us,” Fujin said. He glanced over at the clock. It wasn’t too late, so he could technically go work with the  rasengan more. He had training with Minato again the next day, so if he completed the second stage today then he’d be able to work on the third stage tomorrow. 

“Fujin?”  Naegi asked, snapping him out of his  though t s .

“Just thinking about training,” Fujin said.

“What a surprise,” Saku drawled. She sat up, moving to rest her head against the back of the couch. She kept her eyes on the door, and just a second later Arima came in.

“Increased your sense range?” Fujin asked. 

“Yeah, Lord Hiashi said that I should learn to sense things nearby without making an effort, or else I’ll be too reliant on the  byakugan or something - which does not make sense at all, but at least it is a useful skill,” Saku huffed. 

“I see the three of you are being worked to the bone,” Arima said, making his way over to Saku. He sat down.

“What about you? Got any fun training in?” Saku asked.

“Sakumo-sensei doesn’t work us as hard as your teacher does. At least not individually. He makes us do more teamwork exercises, since at least Mizuko and  Asuka both got  a really intense crash course last year, they’re both up to the level their supposed to be. So, we’re more like, a slightly advanced  genin team since I’m  chuunin level,” Arima explained. “Hopefully we’ll do missions sooner rather than later,” 

“Doubt it,” Fujin said. “Since  Asuka and Mizuko are still considered low levelled, and we’ve just recently become  genin . Even  Kenji -sensei won’t let us do a C-rank yet, because he wants us to  train and become friendly with the village,” he sighed. Yes, he understood why it was needed. But it sucked. D-ranks sucked. 

“Yeah, I know,” Arima huffed. “Guess it’s a real change of pace, huh?” He said, smiling. Fujin chuckled.

“Guess so,” 

\--

Fujin had been in the backyard for several hours. It was soon midnight, so  Naegi felt like he should drag the other boy in. Kenji hated when they were late, and Fujin was a pretty heavy sleeper if he was tired enough, so letting him stay up all night was not really an option. 

Naegi opened the door, watching as Fujin stared intensely at a rubber ball in his hand. Then, the ball suddenly gained a single rupture, deflating quickly. Fujin let out a scream of frustration, falling backwards.  Naegi glanced down, seeing how Fujin’s palms seemed burned form chakra, and they were slightly shaking. He sighed, moving to Fujin’s side and let the familiar hum of healing chakra enter his hands.

“You’re overdoing it,” Naegi said softly. Fujin chuckled.

“I really want to get this technique down,” he said.  Naegi glanced at him.

“Why?” He asked. Fujin shrugged slightly, which did not clarify anything at all.

“I  dunno .” That didn’t help either.

“Well, you’re going to need your hands tomorrow. And your sleep, or else you’ll be late,”  Naegi stated. Fujin hummed in agreement. 

“I’m supposed to get it to pop,” he said. “First I got a water balloon. I had to use my chakra to rotate the water in multiple directions until it popped, and then he gave me this instead. He just said I had to apply force, but no matter how much chakra I put in, it simply just doesn’t work,” Fujin grumbled.  Naegi smiled slightly. Perhaps it wasn’t as much as learning this technique  in particular more than Fujin not understanding the technique. 

“Maybe have Saku look while you’re doing it,”  Naegi proposed. Fujin cocked his head to the side, or at least as much he was able to on his position on the ground.

“Why?” He asked.  Naegi chuckled. He was definitely exhausted. 

“The  byakugan ,”  Naegi said, watching as Fujin’s eyes slowly turned into something of a loading screen. It took him about three second before he connected the dots.

“She can see how I’m moving the chakra,” he said, slowly standing up.

“Aha,” Naegi nodded.

“I need to go get her,” Fujin said. He began walking towards the house, but  Naegi placed a hand on his shoulder before Fujin could walk past him. 

“We’re all going to sleep. You can ask her for help when we get to the training ground tomorrow,”  Naegi stated. 

Fujin  huffed, but followed  Naegi inside regardless. It didn’t take long before the two of them found themselves in their bed, their limbs already tangled together along with Saku. Fujin met  Naegi’s gaze, his eyes shining from the light coming in through the window.

“Ever thought that we maybe should get our own rooms?” Fujin asked quietly. Naegi raised an eyebrow.

“Why?” He asked. Fujin used his free arm to brush a hair away from Saku’s face.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if we end up having to take missions and such separately once we become  chuunin ,” Fujin said. “I’m thinking mostly for Saku,” he murmured. “That she might have trouble being alone for longer periods of time if we don’t actually start letting ourselves get used to being individuals, sorta,” he said.

“I get you,”  Naegi whispered. “I do agree, as well, believe it or not,” he chuckled. “Training individually... talking about our goals, I think...” he trailed off for a bit, looking up at the ceiling. “Perhaps growing into  ourselves a bit, and not only continuing as a team. When you were in  Uzu , you had tons of time to be on your own, and me and Saku didn’t. You  being gone ended up becoming something I couldn’t stop thinking about, despite knowing that you were still within reach and safe,”  Naegi said. 

“Our dependency on each other becomes a liability,” Fujin murmured. “That’s not to say our bond makes us weak,” he added firmly. “No, I believe it makes us stronger, but we have to believe that our bond is just as strong when we are alone as when we are together,” 

“Yeah,”  Naegi mumbled. He was getting drowsier by the second. “We can talk about it with Saku tomorrow, maybe think about decorating our own rooms,” he chuckled.

“At least that’s something Saku will enjoy,” Fujin said. He smiled, just imaging the chaos Saku could come up with when she could create a space only for her. “I think it will help us grow closer too,” Fujin stated. “Giving us our own space will let us have a place to just... be alone, I suppose. It might not be something we would have thought be a good thing, but I think that sometimes it’s nice to have a space to retreat to. At least that was my experience in Uzu,”

“Yeah,”  Naegi said. “Saku usually takes the train that goes around Konoha when she feels like thinking. And yes, Saku does think,”

“Sometimes, anyway,”

Naegi snorted. He shook his head as he turned to face Saku and Fujin, who was laying behind her.

“My point is that yeah, it’s probably good for us to have our own rooms. Especially since Arima has this habit of checking in on Saku quite often, and then she starts to  talk and she talks forever. She could do that in her own room then, and I wouldn’t have to hear about it all the time,” Naegi sighed.

“It’s the sibling love,” Fujin said.

“Speaking of siblings, isn’t one of the family dinners coming up soon?”  Naegi asked. Fujin nodded.

“End of the week,” he said. He was quite looking forward to it, to be honest. It had been some time since they all had time for it, like all of them. Even  Akahiko and his team had managed to get the time. And the rest of the family was also coming from  Uzu . 

“Mm, that’ll be fun,”  Naegi murmured. He had closed his eyes, and his breath was getting deeper and deeper.

“Yeah,” Fujin said softly. He watched as  Naegi fell asleep, and the rhythmic breathing of his two teammates – siblings? Brothers-in-arms? It was hard to put a label on them. Because teammates didn’t simply cut it. A teammate could be anyone given the situation. His siblings didn’t even come close to the bond he had to Saku and  Naegi . He couldn’t only call them friends either, because for that he had people like  Asuka and Shikao.

Regardless, he was soothed. And it didn’t take him long to fall asleep as well.

\--

Fujin stared at the balloon intensely. He could feel his grandfather’s eyes on him as well. Saku hadn’t been much help first that morning. She said that he just ended up having one rotation go larger than the rest, and that it made the balloon pop with that one hole. It was frustrating, but it let Fujin think more about how he should maybe not put so much force in it. But that didn’t make sense either. 

The balloon popped again, a singular hole letting the air leak out quickly as the balloon deflated. Fujin sighed.

“Don’t beat yourself up about it,” Minato said. “It took me three years to create this  jutsu , and Jiraiya-sensei spent months attempting to learn it. Your father said that he spent nearly a week learning this  jutsu , and he used an excessive amount of shadow clones to study it.” He placed a hand on Fujin’s shoulder while handing him another balloon.

“Can you show me the technique again?” Fujin asked. Minato nodded slowly, lifting his hand. Bright chakra flared to life, an orb forming from the spiralling chakra. Fujin narrowed his eyes, keeping his focus. It was completely  round, the form maintained the entire time. Minato had mentioned that the three points to the  rasengan was shape, power and control. Perhaps he didn’t have enough shape. That would make sense with why he was now using a frail balloon as well. The water balloon let him control his chakra better, the rubber ball challenged his force and now it was shape.

Fujin held up the balloon, sending chakra into his palm. He just had to contain it but expand it at the same time. He felt the chakra spin around and around. Before he focused on popping the balloon, he focused on not touching it. To make sure that his form didn’t waiver as he slowly made the ball of chakra larger. When the balloon began to move slightly, showing that the chakra was big enough, Fujin amplified his output. 

The balloon popped with a satisfying sound. The pieces of it scattering around as Fujin’s battered hand came into view. 

“Well do-”

“I  fucking did it!” Fujin yelled. He laughed, falling on his back with a thud. He took a deep breath, staring up at the sky. “I did it,” he repeated as he exhaled. 

“You did,” Minato said. He sat down next to Fujin, trailing a hand through Fujin’s hair. 

“I have a question,” Fujin said. He looked up at Minato. “Becoming the hokage... sacrificing your life, Dad’s mom, leaving Dad alone, how do you feel about that now?” Fujin asked softly. He felt Minato’s hand stiffen slightly before it returned to  its caressing. 

“It wasn’t easy to make the decision, at the same time that it was,” Minato said. “I trusted your father to become the saviour the toads had prophesized, even though the Toad Sage might have been a little off in his prediction. I also love the village, despite the hardships it forced on Kushina and Ryuusuke,” he murmured. “I don’t regret making that decision. But I do miss the chance of being there for your father. And I miss Kushina. I never expected to come back to life, but I  have to make the best of it. Teaching you the  rasengan ... well, it’s nice to be able to teach someone what I know. Your father created techniques based off on  me, and is too busy to actually go back into full time training,” he chuckled. “I trailed off,”

“No, you answered what I wondered,” Fujin said with a smile. “I want to become the hokage, and while I feel ready for making those hard decisions, I just... was curious, if you regretted making them, and perhaps I would then if it came to it,” Fujin shrugged. 

“And I eased your mind?” Minato asked. Fujin nodded. 

“I want to make you proud. And dad. And if there is anyone who can prepare me for becoming the best  hokage I can be, it is the legend himself,” Fujin grinned. Minato laughed. He lifted Fujin up to his lap and hugging him tightly.

“Grandpa- I can’t - breathe-!” Fujin wheezed.

\--

Naegi slumped against the trunk of a tree, a large amount of kunai and shuriken scattered around him and the clearing around him. About the double amount of kunai on the ground was found lodged into the trees around the clearing. In the centre, Uchiha  Itachi stared down at his new student with a completely empty look.

If there was someone who would infuriate Fujin more than Kenji’s lack of facial expressions, it was Itachi.

“I knew this  shurikenjutsu before I was half your age,”  Itachi said. Naegi pouted. 

“I don’t understand why I need to know how to throw one shuriken in front of me and then spend a billion to make sure that it sticks to the target behind me. It’s a waste, and I can create a billion weapons I can control at will,”  Naegi said. He stared up at the sky through the trees. It was getting late. All day had gone by almost in a flash, and his muscles were sore from his training with Kenji, and the hours spent going to a series of different  D -rank s made his feet hurt. 

“Because this is just the first stage. Eventually, you’ll have control to throw many weapons and have them all hit weapons around you, saving time and confusing the enemy,”  Itachi stated. “And relying on your chakra weapons is not only foolish, but could cause both you and your teammates defeat,” he added. 

“It’s not like I’m not thinking about how much chakra I can spend or not, but I can also just... not use the chakra weapons if I feel like it?”  Naegi said. Itachi sighed.

“It’s not a matter what you don’t have to learn, because of what you could do otherwise. But how much you can improve,”  Itachi said. “Take the Third  hokage , he learned every single  jutsu Konoha had to offer, in addition to that he could steal from his enemies. He didn’t just know it, but he mastered it to the best of his ability. He didn’t  _ have  _ to do that, but he did, because any weapon you can use against your enemy is worth knowing,” 

“I guess,”  Naegi huffed. “It’s not that I don’t understand, it’s just... I feel like I’m wasting my time. I should be learning something stronger.  _ Better.  _ To be able to protect my precious people,” 

Itachi smiled. It wasn’t something  Naegi expected. To be honest, he didn’t know that it was possible.

“Patience is important. Knowing how to fight properly with physical weapons is important in the case your chakra is unavailable to you. In addition, knowing the physical weapons and how they work will make you better with using the chakra ones as well, at least because when you fight against your enemy, you can predict how they move,”  Itachi said. “All knowledge is an advantage,”

Naegi stood up, a newfound determination finding place within him. He would learn all he could, as he was certain Fujin and Saku would do the same. And they would be unstoppable, so that nothing could be taken from them again. 

“ _ Now  _ you can use shadow clones,”

“Fucking finally!”

\--

Saku entered the gentle fist stand again. Neji was gently correcting it as Hiashi stared at her hard. It was nerve wracking, to have that intense gaze analyse every single move she made. 

“Go through the katas,” he said. And Saku did. Upon  actually having to learn kata, which were very rigid yet at the same time required a smooth transition between each other, she came to the conclusion that she never understood why Fujin found it calming. Yet, Fujin also did basic  Uzu academy katas, which he had learned when he spent his year there  as a way to relax. So perhaps the intent of learning it mattered. Saku found it requiring a lot, almost all her focus in fact. Not that she had a lot of it to begin with.

Every time she made a mistake, Hiashi would mark a tally in his head, so that when she finished, he hit her with that, ‘you made a  bigillion mistakes’ . She sighed.

“Am I boring you?” Hiashi asked loudly. 

“No!” Saku exclaimed. She stumbled as she twisted around to face him, landing on the floor harshly. God, she was tired. She loved the feeling, but she did not love Hiashi’s look of disappointment. 

“I’ll admit that I do not agree with your master’s training arrangement. You require more focused training, rather than spreading your wings far immediately. The progress we have made this week is slow, since we have only met a couple of times. If you had trained here every day, you would already know these katas by heart, and would find them a lot less  stressful ,” Hiashi stated.

“I’m not stressed,” Saku countered.

“I can see it. Do not lie to me,” Hiashi stated. “You think too much while doing it, worried about the mistakes you have made, which makes you do more,” 

Saku was no longer sure if he was reprimanding her or comforting her. There was a little grey area between there, which Hiashi had created for himself by the looks of it.

“How is your training with the Uchiha?” Hiashi asked. Saku stared at him quizzingly for a brief second.

“I guess it’s going alright.  Sasuke -sensei is pretty to the point, but he says that I understand my  sharingan pretty well in combat compared to my reaction time. He’s doing more  sharingan focused training, like what the  abilties are, how they unlock, how it evolves, how to apply it to certain techniques or combat situations,” she listed.

“I see,” Hiashi said. “I suppose it doesn’t matter. It is a thought for a later date,” he added. “Now, I’m going to tell you this once, and I hope I will not have to repeat myself; while our progress is slow, there isn’t a time limit. Yes, we will work towards the goal for you to have mastered some of the  Hyuuga’s techniques by the time of the  chuunin exam, but I am not going to teach you something half-assed, pardon my language,” Hiashi said. Saku snorted, and even Neji was chuckling in the back of the room.

“ Ya mean that it doesn’t mattter if I mess up so much?” Saku asked.

“No, it matters, because it means that I have failed to help you. But I will, no matter how long it takes,” Hiashi said. He folded his hands behind his back and lifted his chin slightly.

“Hiashi-sensei, you almost sound soft there,” Saku said with a smirk.

“Go through the katas again,”

-

The end of the week came sooner than Fujin expected. And he found himself in the cleanest clothes he had worn in a week, because he had only worn his training clothes – and he had trained a lot. He had to buy new ones now.

They were at Eon’s home, and from the moment they had stepped foot on the property, Fujin could hear the chaos that had already gotten there. He supposed his family had arrived already.

The door was opened with a quick swing , revealing Sora and Minato Jr fighting for space.

“Fujin! Which one of us is your favourite brother?!” Minato shouted. Sora pushed his face away, forcing the other into the wall.

“It’s obviously  me right? I’m much cooler than this scatterbrain!” Sora insisted. 

“Ha? I’m the coolest one! You’re all so ‘ah, I have to meditate and be one with the island’! It’s me who goes on awesome missions!” 

Fujin, Saku and  Naegi slowly made their way up to them,  realizing quite quickly that they would not be able to pass through the twins. 

“It’s me!” Minato  shouted .

“No, it’s me!” Sora shot back.

“It’s Naegi. Shut up,” Fujin sighed. The twins stared at him blankly for a moment. 

“Betrayed,” Sora sighed. “By our own flesh and blood,”

“I can’t believe he would do this to us,” Minato agreed. The two of them walked closer to Fujin, and he got the instinct that he should probably move. But his more stubborn side would  _ never  _ let his older brothers feel like he couldn’t beat them in a battle.

Something he was pretty sure he would be able to, considering that both of them were  chuunin , but had by far less experience in actual battle in comparison to Fujin. 

His two brothers took a hold of his shoulders, one on each side. They then swiftly lifted him up by his shirt, earning a yelp from Fujin as he was forcefully brought into the house. 

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Fujin exclaimed. He could hear  Naegi and Saku laugh behind him. 

“It’s revenge,” Minato and Sora said in unison.

They were about to toss him onto the couch when a short 'ahem’ made them all freeze. Their mother was standing around the corner, her arms crossed. Fujin tilted his head backwards, seeing it all upside down.

“Hey mom,” he said with a wave.

“Fujin,” Sakura greeted softly. “Sora, Minato, do you mind letting your brother down? We’re guests here,” she stated as she crossed her arms, and though there was a sweetness to her voice, all the kids knew exactly  what would happen if they disobeyed. 

“Don’t worry about it, Sakura,” Eon said. She was wearing one of her famous grey hoodies. (Fujin wasn’t  actually sure if he had ever seen her without it, but that was a different thing altogether.) On her arm was little  Nagito , who was just a little over two years old. He too, was wearing a hoodie, however it was a soft brown rather than the grey Eon preferred. “I knew when I invited Uzumaki’s that the chances of having a peaceful evening was never going to happen,”

“Ahh, Saku!  Naegi ! Fujin!” A voice sounded. The three turned their attention to the kitchen. Fujin watched as Saku and  Naegi quickly got drowned in red hair as they were enveloped in a crushing hug. 

“Granny!” Saku exclaimed happily. She managed to wiggle her arms so she could hug back, while  Naegi wiggled out of the embrace.

“It’s so nice to see you three! It’s been forever,” Hamako said. She gently pulled out of Saku’s embrace, looking over her as she brushed away the hair from Saku’s face. “You have grown! I can see the progress already,” she said. “I hope Hiashi has been treating you well, otherwise I’ll have to go have a word with him,” she glanced towards the door with narrowed eyes.

“ Hiashi -sensei is treating me just fine,” Saku said. “He’s strict, but it’s fine,” 

“And  Naegi ! You’re training with Sakura, right? How has that been going?” Hamako asked.  Naegi looked over at Sakura uncertainly.

“She’s definitely a strong teacher,” he said lamely. Hamako laughed heartily at the exchange.

“That girl is so much like Tsunade, reminds me a lot about Kushina too,” Hamako said. At this the room stilled for a second. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence, but more a general sadness. Fujin glanced over at the other side of the room, seeing his father and grandfather talking softly to one another. He couldn’t make out what they were saying, but he knew that they had heard what had been said and was most likely just choosing to ignore it. 

Hamako and Minato Sr. Were the only ones in the room who had  actually met Kushina, unless you counted the sparse minutes Ryuusuke had been with her right after being born. Ryuusuke certainly didn’t count them. It had been a miracle that Fujin’s grandfather had come back to life, and they had yet to fully see if it was a good thing or not. Yet, it had brought in a certain grief. Because while for everyone else, it had been several decades since Minato and Kushina died for the village. But for Minato, it had been just four years. It seems like a lot, but with everything that had been going on, there had never really been any time to process what hat gap would actually bring.

Hamako and Minato had at least gotten a stronger bond than what they had prior to his and  Kushina’s demise. They had been close as in-laws, but now they were brought so much closer through their love for Kushina, as they could  actually talk with someone who knew not only the loss of her, but the loss of a spouse. 

Sakura moved closer to Hamako, placing a hand on her shoulder softly. 

“I suppose it’s only fitting,” she said with a smile. “ Ryuu tries to hide his inner Uzumaki so much that someone has to bring the fire to the house,” her smile grew into more of a grin. Hamako placed her own hand over Sakura’s.

“Right you are,” Hamako said. “Though your boys certainly haven’t got a lack of will,” 

“Minato! Sora! Let’s get back to the game!” There was a loud rumble of hurried footsteps down the stairs. “Shizuaki let us use his TV!” Around the corner came a messy head of dark blue hair. 

“ Ao ! Don’t run inside,” Kousuke reprimanded from his seat. 

“I think you’re fighting a lost cause there,”  Yachi chuckled from his side. 

“Mother! Your cake isn’t going to finish itself and I will win this round!” Yuki’s voice sounded from the kitchen.

“It certainly isn’t only my boys,” Sakura replied to Hamako with a chuckle. 

“Right you are,” Hamako said. She went over to Fujin, squeezed his cheeks. “I’ll come back for the hug later, I  gotta teach my daughter who’s the real cake master,” she said before heading into the kitchen. Fujin began to fall to the ground as Sora and Minato dropped him unceremoniously. However, he quickly caught himself and landed into a crouch. He rubbed his cheeks.

“Damn, she pinches hard,” he said.

“Language,” Sakura stated loudly. Fujin winced, making his way back to Saku and Naegi’s side.

“Where’s Akahiko and the others?” He asked.

“They’re looking after Umi and  Nagito in the back,” Eon answered. “Or rather, Riko wanted to watch them and dragged the other to with her,” 

There were times when Fujin thought that perhaps their family was a little too big and that at one point he was going to forget if everyone was present or not,  but yet he knew he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“How has training been?” Eon asked the three of them.

“The two of them have some extreme physical training going on,” Fujin said. “They keep moaning about their muscles being sore or some bruise somewhere all day long,” 

“Hey! You’re the one who kept  wacking your brain around when you were trying to learn that ball jutsu!” Saku shouted.

“It’s called the  rasengan , Saku, and that’s an A-rank jutsu!”

“Yeah and I’m learning a completely foreign martial art in addition to training my eyes!”

“And I’m training with your mother,”  Naegi murmured to Fujin.

“Yeah,  Naegi wins,” Fujin said. Saku huffed.

“Just cos your mom’s scary and standing right there,” she mumbled.

“What was that, Saku?” Sakura asked sweetly.

“Nothing!”

Fujin moved to his mother side, giving her a brief hug. She carefully ran her hand through his hair before she let him continue his way to his father. 

“Fujin, Dad was just catching me up on how far you’ve gotten with your training,” Ryuusuke said. He pulled Fujin into a hug, holding him tight for just a second. Fujin knew that he would rather hold on much longer, but it  wasn’t a very comfortable position.

“Learning the  rasengan so quickly is pretty amazing,” Ryuusuke continued. “I spent so much time on it, especially if you consider the amount of shadow  clones I had working with me,” 

“You also had a war going on,” Fujin stated. 

“Still, it’s amazing,” Ryuusuke said. He lightly bumped a fist into Fujin’s chest. “Becoming  hokage will be no match for you,” he said. 

“Thanks Dad,”

-

Saku watched as  Naegi went to the kitchen to talk with his mother and grandmoter. Possible also to stop them from making too many cakes in their baking competition. 

“How is training with Sasuke?” Eon asked. Saku cocked her head to the side.

“Sasuke-sensei is pretty cool, why you ask?” She asked. Eon shook her head.

“No particular reason,” she said. “He can be a bit distant sometimes, I just wanted to make sure you had a good time with him,” she added. Eon and Saku moved to sit on one of the many couches in the living room. (They had like three, in addition to several sitting areas. The house was very big, and they often entertained guests (The Uzumakis)). 

“How is Kenji doing though? That’s what’s interesting,” Kousuke asked. “He gave you a bunch of teachers, is he slacking off?” 

“Not a chance,” Saku huffed. “He drives us to the ground every morning, and then he has us do boring D-ranks all afternoon,” 

“That’s the genin life alright,” Eon chuckled.

“Eon, your team’s first C-rank ended up being an A-rank,” 

“We still did D-ranks,”

“For like a month, before you demanded a new mission,”

Saku stared at them as they bantered back and forth.

An idea sparked in her mind, but she would have to be patient.


	20. Naegi stops a pocket thief | Fujin hates him for it

Roughly a month after graduating from the academy, Saku had had enough. 

She was sick of training all day and doing dumb D-rank missions and not being able to put her new skills to practice because all they did was paint fences. 

Even spars weren’t as exciting, because they did them every day against each other and there was almost never anything new happening. She needed excitement. She craved it. 

“I demand that we do a C-ranked mission!” Saku exclaimed loudly. They were in the mission hall, and a number of other squads looked at them astonished by the sound. Kenji stared at Saku, and she stared back, defiant eyes meeting his impassive (yet seemingly impressed) gaze. 

“Alright,” he said. 

“No! No more D-ranks, it’s a waste an- what?” Saku rambled, clearly not expecting the answer she had gotten. 

“I agree. You’ve improved more than enough the past month and getting out in the village will be good. I can also teach you survival things while we are at it,” Kenji said. He led them to the mission desk. 

“Ah, team 7. You’re highly requested nowadays, what kind of mission do you want? I have a fence building one in the outskirts again, a boar ran through the old fence so you might want to watch out. Also, the wife of the Fire Lord lost her cat again on her last visit,-” the lady at the mission desk was interrupted by Kenji lifting a hand. 

“We’re requesting a C-rank today,” Kenji said politely. The lady looked surprised for a moment before she nodded, shuffling her stack of papers before reading down the list. 

“You’ll be perfect for this mission then,” she said. “There’s a merchant who has requested an escort to the capital due to the high risk of bandits. You are among the most skilled genin available, especially now that team eight is out of the village dealing with that Mujina bandits gang, I was considering waiting until they were back to employ them,” the lady said. Saku noted that Fujin seemed slightly irritated at the remark. She smirked. 

Whether or not Fujin wanted to admit it, he and Arima had gotten into a slight... competition. Call it a rivalry, though they had never actually said it like that. They simply competed to be the best. Which is exactly what a rivalry was, but they would never call each other their rival. The fact that Arima and his team had already gone on C-rank missions had bothered Fujin for quite some time, but he was to set on following Kenji’s path to argue about doing more excited missions, even though all three of them desperately wanted some more publicity in that sense. 

Fujin had been summoned back to Danzo four times after that time right after graduation. He hadn’t come back beaten like he had been then, but he seemed much sadder when he came home. Getting an excited mission that wasn’t feeling like something dirty and bad would probably do him a lot of good, in Saku’s honest onion. 

He had briefly mentioned that all he did for Danzo was assassination, and the thought made Saku slightly sick. She could remember clearly the feeling of cutting down her opponents when she had to, but she had never done it simply because she was asked to. Orochimaru had left that to Fujin, who had been ruthless. It angered her that Danzo was putting him back in that environment. 

“We’ll take our leave then. Where will I find the merchant?” Kenji asked, snapping Saku out of her thoughts. Seems like they had continued on explaining the mission. She frowned. She didn’t like spacing out so much. 

“He said he would be available at his hotel, since he’s preparing for his trip back already. The address is in your mission details,” the mission desk lady said with a smile. 

Kenji led them back outside, standing in front of them. 

“Alright, the trip to the capital will take approximately two weeks, since we’ll be moving at civilian pace along with a wagon. We’ll stay in the capital for a couple of days, before heading back. The trip back takes around four days, so pack for around three weeks of travel. You don’t need to bring rations for the trip back, since we can restock in the capital. I know Fujin prefers to seal your survival equipment away, so I don’t have to worry about you packing light. Be prepared for a battle situation. I’ll meet you at the gate tomorrow morning. For the rest of the day you will inform your teachers that you are leaving, pack and rest up. Dismissed,” Kenji ordered before he disappeared in a swirl of leaves. 

“Well,” Fujin said. “Telling us to pack and prepare is a given, though I’d think that he knew that I always carried everything we could ever need,” he said. Saku chortled. 

“Imagine the merchant’s face when you bring out a home cooked meal straight out of the oven from your seals. I don’t think he’ll ever have seen Shinobi eating so nicely out on missions,” Saku said. 

“True, though I suppose we should eat some shinobi rations as well, just to get used to them in case we actually ever have to eat them,” Naegi said. 

“I suppose,” Fujin and Saku mumbled in unison, though they both were clearly disappointed. They liked food. 

They all created shadow clones to go to their respective teachers and tell them that they’d be unavailable. 

They headed back towards their home, falling into easy conversation as they did. Saku took in the village with more focus than usual. This wasn’t the first time they would be outside the village since they came back six years ago, but it was the first time they were going to somewhere that wasn’t Uzu. Not to mention that they’d be going deep into the fire country instead. The capital. One of the busiest places on the continent. 

At least it would be very interesting. She didn’t know much about the capital or the fire lord, but she could remember something about the way that the lord and the Hokage ruled the nation. The Fire Lord wasn’t like someone who made a lot of decisions, or rather, he dealt with mostly civilian issues where the Hokage was the military power. All security and stuff came to him. She glanced over at Fujin, imagining him in the fancy robe that his grandfather and father wore. It was a silly sight, because he was much smaller than them, but it was still a pretty cool look. 

If Naegi had been the son of the Fire Lord, he could have taken that part of the job and they could’ve worked together. Saku supposed that was impossible regardless. Besides, Naegi would hate it. And Naegi had the thing going on for him about making things peaceful, whatever that meant. Saku figured that maybe some day he’d find something that would help him on that path. 

“Saku,” Fujin said. She looked at him curiously. He shifted his eyes between Saku and Naegi, as if he was uncertain which one to look at. Which was also silly, because he did address her. “What do you think about getting our own rooms,” he said. Saku cocked her head to the side. 

“As like your study room?” She asked. Fujin shook his head. 

“I was thinking... when we become chuunin, then we’ll be asked to lead missions on our own and stuff. If we still sleep in the same room and struggle finding peace without the others there , how will we end up when we’re doing missions?” He said quickly. It was honestly more of a ramble, and Saku couldn’t say that she followed everything he said, but she got the gist of it. 

“I mean sure,” Saku said. Fujin and Naegi both stopped, staring at her blankly for a second. 

“You’re cool with it?” Naegi asked carefully. Saku shrugged. 

“I have been getting kind of annoyed about Fujin nagging me about leaving my clothes all around. And also, I was at Mizuko’s house the other day with Asuka, and she has the most awesome room ever. I want to decorate my own room as well. I was thinking like a jungle gym and many secret rooms and like the lights that are in the attic in Uzu with the stars would be awesome -” 

“Alright,” Fujin chuckled, grabbing Saku’s shoulder gently. “You have many plans, what if we start working on that when we get back?” He asked. Saku grinned at him. 

“You’re going to have the most boring room of us all,” 

“Yeah...” Naegi supplied. Fujin stuck his tongue out at them. 

\-- 

Fujin double checked his weapons pouches. He knew that Naegi would be able to create weapons out of thin air if they were ever in need of them, but kunai were the most effective defence against ranged weapons and swords. He would never go without one. And though he could store large amount of them in scrolls, it would take too long to take them out in the case of an emergency. 

So yeah. He still wore the pouch. 

Other than that, he had his sealing equipment easily accessible, he had an excessive number of things packed, prepared for basically any situation. 

It was a very simple system, where he had sealed one scroll for survival on one wrist, and the combat scroll on the other. Within those scrolls, there were several seals clearly labelled, like in the survival scroll you had medical, which then would pop out a scroll with several different types of medical equipment. And then you had camp, which then contained the scroll with tents, firewood, sleeping bags and lots of smaller things like pots and pans. He also had extra clothes packed. 

He had given Naegi and Saku their own storage scrolls which they could keep on their belt. He’d rather they keep track of their own things so that he didn’t get anything mixed up. 

All in all, they were more than prepared for anything that could happen. 

He went down to the living room, where Arima was sitting and drinking tea. 

“Shouldn’t you be out with your team?” Fujin asked. Arima looked over at him briefly, before taking another sip of his tea. 

“Day off. We just came home from a C-rank, so Sakumo-sensei let us take a break. You’re heading out today? Saku rambled about it when I checked in on her earlier,” Arima replied. 

“Yeah, to the capital,” Fujin said. Arima hummed. 

“Be careful,” he said. Fujin nodded. 

“I know,” 

\-- 

Naegi stood at the gate, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. Kenji wasn’t there, or at least not visibly. Naegi figured that he probably was watching from a distance, waiting until the client appeared. Saku had gotten distracted by something on their way here, some accessories or something she wanted for her room, and Fujin made sure that they would be at the gate on time. 

In the meanwhile, Naegi stood there in silence. The morning air had a slight chill to it, despite Konoha being relatively warm. Naegi was almost regretting always wearing a t-shirt. He should consider getting a jacket or something. 

“What’s a kid like you doing here?” a deep voice asked. Naegi turned around, coming face to face with an old man. He was tall, that was the first thing Naegi noticed. And despite clearly being in his later years, he stood straight. There was an undeniable power behind it. And yet he somehow seemed familiar. Though Naegi wasn’t entirely sure where to place him. 

“I’m waiting for my team,” Naegi answered finally. The man raised an eyebrow. He wore a very funny looking forehead protector. It had small horns on it, and the symbol for ‘oil’ was inscribed on it. Perhaps he wasn’t a konoha shinobi? It was impossible for him not to be one, considering the raw power he emitted. 

“What’s your name kid?” The man asked. 

“Uzumaki Naegi,” Naegi replied. The man nodded thoughtfully. 

“Hamako’s side, probably, ya don’t look like Ryuusuke, maybe slightly same coloration,” the man hummed. 

“You know my grandmother? And Uncle Ryuu?” Naegi asked. The man grinned at him. He struck a pose, his long white and extremely messy ponytail swung behind him. 

“I am,” the man said. “The legendary sage of Mount Myoboku,” he switched to another pose. Naegi took a step back. “Lord Jiraiya!” He swung his hands around, his open palm facing Naegi while his other was pointed behind him. 

“The sannin! You're on the photo in Uncle Ryuu’s office!” Naegi exclaimed. Jiraiya grinned. 

“I see my reputation precedes me,” Jiraiya said. Naegi cocked his head to the side. 

“Yeah no, Uncle Ryuu mentioned that you trained him during the war, but I couldn’t remember your name,” 

Jiraiya’s face stiffened slightly, as if the knowledge about him not being famous and extraordinary in every single person’s mind was about to send him physically to the ground. 

“You wrote the gutsy ninja though, right?” Naegi asked. Jiraiya cocked his head to the side, his eyes slightly wide in surprise. 

“You know of that?” Jiraiya asked. Naegi nodded. 

“Grandma mentioned it, she said that her sister was considering to name Uncle Ryuu after the main character and stuff, so I ended up reading it,” Naegi said. “It sparked the idea of my goal,” 

“Your goal? My book?” To say that Jiraiya seemed confused was an understatement. He seemed utterly perplexed, as if his entire world kind of shifted in that moment. 

“Yeah,” Naegi smiled. “Breaking the curse of hatred, if there is such a thing as peace, I’ll seize it,” he murmured. “The words really struck me,” he looked up at Jiraiya, and then he bowed slightly. 

“Thank you for writing them,” he said. 

Jiraiya stared at him for a few seconds. 

“I like you kid,” Jiraiya grinned. “I’ll see you around,” he said. And when Naegi looked up, he had vanished. 

\-- 

Fujin had finally managed to get Saku to send clones home with her current bags of various decorations for her room, rather than her running back again and making them even more late. 

He also managed to get her towards the gate without any further distractions or incidents, which he was eternally grateful for. 

Naegi was still alone at the gate, and while Fujin would’ve expected him to be bored and give them a good lecture once they arrived, all he did instead was stare thoughtfully out the gate. 

“World to Naegi,” Saku said, waving her hand in front of his face. Naegi gave a sigh as a reply, grabbing Saku’s arm lightly and pulling it down to his side. 

“What’s up?” Fujin asked. 

“I met an interesting person,” Naegi said. “Trying to figure out what he meant,” 

“I see,” Fujin replied. 

“Why is Kenji-sensei so late? He said he’d be here by morning,” Saku stated. 

“You were the late ones,” Kenji’s voice sounded. They looked around themselves, when Kenji flickered into view behind Saku. He placed his hands on her shoulders. “The client will be here in a couple of minutes. One of my clones saw him leave his hotel room earlier,” Kenji added. 

Sure enough, the client came soon enough, and his large wagon pulled by a single horse. The wagon seemed easy enough to protect. He could ask the client if he wanted him to put some seals on it for protection in the case of an attack. 

That would have to be when they put up camp for the day though, he didn’t want to waste time with it now. 

“My, you ninja are punctual,” he said. “My name’s Makoto, I’m a travelling merchant, though my main shop is in the capital,” he went on to grab Kenji’s hand and shake it firmly. He then looked at Fujin and the others. 

“My wares are in your hands,” he said with a grin. 

“Don’t you worry,” Naegi said, his voice very polite. “We’re more than capable,” he added. 

Makoto laughed heartily. Most people knew that a single genin were worth ten bandits due to formal training. However, Team 7 were not made up of ordinary genin. 

Kenji sent them a knowing glance. “We should be on our way,” he said. 

“Right-o,” Makoto said. He jumped up in his wagon, taking the reins and set the horse into movement. 

“I’ll take up the rear,” Kenji said. “Fujin, Naegi, you take up the right flank, try to angle yourself a bit to the front so that your sight isn’t affected by the horse. Saku, you’re on the left. I want you to use your byakugan and check our surroundings every ten minutes. Just for a moment, don’t overdo it,” Kenji said. He nodded at them, and they went into their positions. 

Fujin could hear that Saku easily fell into conversation with Makoto, asking a billion things about the capital and his work. Makoto was glad to answer, he seemed even a little happy that someone took so much interest. 

“I gotta say that I’m a bit more concerned about us doing missions out in the open like this than I thought I would be,” Fujin said. Naegi hummed. 

“Because of the Snake?” He asked. Fujin nodded. 

“It’s not like I think he’d make a move. But it’s more how much easier it would be. Then again, I know that both Dad and Grandpa can teleport to our side any moment, so it’s not like he’d get away,” Fujin mumbled. 

“I get it,” Naegi said. “And you’re paranoid, so it’s to be expected,” he chuckled. Fujin scoffed, jabbing his elbow into Naegi’s side playfully. 

They trip went without incident all the way until nightfall, when Makato stated that he knew a good camping spot around the area, that would be good for the horse to rest up by as well because of a small lake that was there. 

And so, they headed to the clearing he spoke of, covered nicely by the trees, but the clearing was still large enough that nothing would be able to jump out of the woods and surprise them. 

“Saku, Naegi, please scout the area and get an idea of the layout,” Kenji said. “Fujin, we’ll set up camp,” he said, knowing that Fujin had all the equipment. 

Fujin unsealed his scroll, earning a glance from Makoto. He unsealed the tent for him, Naegi and Saku. The client would sleep in his wagon, and Kenji had his own tent. (Probably having lots of hidden weapon pockets or stuff like that). 

Kenji helped him set it up, while Fujin’s clone went to get a fire started, unsealing a picnic table and setting it with plates and stuff. Soon enough, it looked like a destination camping spot that was put up for tourists. 

“You pack too much,” Kenji chuckled. It wasn’t criticism, not really, because he knew that Fujin could carry it, and that he wouldn’t let the unpacking and packing slow him down any more than a person with normal equipment would do. 

“This is pretty amazing kid, ever thought about selling these scribbles?” Makoto asked. Fujin looked over at him, doing his best not to seem too offended. 

“They aren’t scribbles,” Fujin stated. “It’s fuinjutsu, and it is heavily unreliable to anyone who doesn’t know the art,” he said. “Simple storage seals would be easy for a genin to operate, but a civilian wouldn’t be able to use their chakra in the way necessary to unseal and seal the scrolls,” 

Makoto looked confused, and Fujin supressed the smirk building up on his face. 

“Speaking of,” Fujin said. “I was thinking I could add some protection seals to your wagon in case of an attack. It would protect your wares from most damage. I could also add a barrier, but then you wouldn’t be able to enter and leave the wagon as you wish without me helping it, so I figured it wasn’t the best option,” 

“Good thinking,” Kenji praised. 

“Go ahead, but shouldn’t we get started on dinner?” Makoto asked. Fujin waved his hand. 

“I got some fresh Ichiraku Ramen sealed away. Just waiting until Naegi and Saku comes back,” Fujin replied. He went over to the wagon, unsealing his brush and ink to start working. 

The seals he was putting up were something he’d made himself back when he was still being heavily supervised by Orochimaru. They protected basically against any chakra-based attack, in addition to absorbing man-made fire, and it could seal away a medium amount of ranged weapons. It wouldn’t stop people from entering the wagons, and if someone slashed a sword with it, it wouldn’t stop them. Swords were too big. Even an ANBU-style one would be two big, despite not even being the full length of an adult’s arm. 

It took Fujin about fifteen minutes to make sure that the seals protected the entire wagon (and the horse). And by the time he was done, Saku and Naegi re-entered the clearing. Fujin created a few clones. 

“I’ll send them to put up a sensory barrier some distance out. It should at least gives us a heads up if someone with cultivated chakra reserves enter. It won’t help against most bandits though,” Fujin said. Kenji nodded at him. 

“Fujin!” Saku complained. “Let’s just eat!” 

Fujin grinned, heading over to the table and unsealed his many bowls of ramen. He really owed Old Man Teuchi for letting him order so many at once. It took some time to make it. 

“I’ve never hired shinobi who brings such luxury with them,” Makoto chuckled as he too sat down. Fujin grinned. 

“Fuinjutsu has been a nearly dead art for quite some time. It was first when the Uzu academy brought it back into teaching that it became more common again, but most chuunin wouldn’t be able to bring with them the amount that Fujin does,” Kenji stated. 

They started eating, chatting about mundane things the rest of the night. They eventually got themselves to bed, or at least some of them. Naegi was on the first watch, and that left Fujin to deal with the still slightly hyper Saku. The lack of extreme workout Hiashi and her other tutors put her through in the evening really left her with some excess energy. 

“And now, Hiashi-sensei is finally letting me move away from the basic style and teaching me some actual techniques! He had me watch Neji while he went through the katas with my sharingan, and now I remember them perfectly. With the training I did first in memorizing them, I now can do it perfectly without having to bat an eye!” Saku rambled. “At first Hiashi said that he didn’t want me to use the sharingan ‘cos he believes in the power of hard work as well or something because of some shit that happened in the past, but he then figured that it was probably better to just use all the tools that we have instead and then things went so much easier. He still doesn’t let me slack off, but at least I don’t mess up as much as I did before,” 

“Saku, _breathe_ ,” Fujin laughed. 

“We’re all gonna be so awesome,” Saku said. She laid down on her sleeping bag, a satisfied smile on her face. 

“Let’s hope some bandits decide to attack us so that you can show these awesome skills,” Fujin chuckled. 

\-- 

He had jinxed it. 

Around a five dozen bandits came scurrying down the main road. They had walked perhaps two hours from the campsite before they were ‘surprised’. Fujin wouldn’t really call it a surprise, because Saku spotted them nearly a mile away. 

“Alright you three, I’ll protect the client. You deal with the bandits,” Kenji said. The three genin nodded quickly. 

“Also! No chakra unless absolutely necessary!” Kenji added. 

“Hah? This ninja dude is underestimating us!” One of the bandits screeched. “A genin is worth perhaps ten bandits – and that is with chakra!” The bandit waved at her men. “Never falter! This merchant has lots of valuable good! Beware of the jonin!” 

The bandits charged. Fujin sighed. It was an interesting number of bandits to say the least. He had thought that maybe three or four would show up. Not this mass of people. Though he wasn’t complaining. They threw a volley of kunai towards the wagon. How they had gotten ninja style weapon was unknown to Fujin, but perhaps there were still remnants of them around the area from the war. The seals on the wagon absorbed the kunai that hit it, and Kenji easily blocked the ones in his own danger zone. Fujin grinned. Worked like a charm. 

Saku was the first one to go. Even without her byakugan or the chakra she was still a madman with taijutsu. And as they saw her be very nice and break a number of bandits’ arms and legs, Fujin and Naegi followed suit. 

Fujin flipped a kunai into his hand, rushing towards a bandit. He slid under the man’s legs, slicing at his tendons. It earned him a pained cry from the man, and he fell to the ground, clutching his legs. Fujin continued running. He threw a kunai into someone’s knee. He made sure to not do any lethal moves this time. (It wouldn’t help to have the client be scared of him for the rest of their trip). 

“Fujin! Kunai!” Naegi’s voice rang out. Fujin grinned, throwing a group kunai upwards as he crouched down. Naegi’s feet pushed up from his back, grabbing each kunai mid-air before throwing them at a series of bandits with precise movements. Fujin stood up as Naegi landed next to him. 

“You’ve been working on your shurikenjutsu,” Fujin commented. Naegi grinned, before his face fell. Fujin bent down, letting Naegi roll over his back and punch away an attacking bandit. Fujin grabbed another kunai, throwing it over Naegi’s shoulder to hit another bandit further away that was approaching Saku behind her back. 

“I had that one!” Saku shouted. 

“Doesn’t matter!” Fujin shouted back. 

He and Naegi separated again, going off to take out the last remaining bandits. 

It took them perhaps five minutes in total for all the bandits. 

The few bandits that surrendered grabbed their wounded comrades and scrammed, leaving team 7 and their client alone by the road. 

“You three... you’re amazing,” Makoto said in awe. Saku laughed, crossing her arms. 

“I know we are!” She exclaimed happily. Fujin and Naegi shrugged as they shared a grin. 

“Be aware of hubris, Saku,” Kenji commented, but Fujin (through very thorough investigation) knew that there was no ill intent behind it. He was quite proud too, by the looks of it, which was actually kind of surprising. 

“Alright,” Kenji said as they began moving again. “What could you have done better?” He asked. 

“It would have been easier to kill the bandits rather than just impair them,” Fujin stated. 

“Yes, but it would have made the clean-up much harder,” Kenji replied. 

“My strikes weren’t as effective as they are with the byakugan and chakra applied, so lots of my punches were weaker than what they should be since I applied less force,” Saku sulked. 

“So, what do you do with that?” Kenji asked. 

“Remember to adapt to the situation at hand?” Saku asked. “Make note of the things I need to change when you remove certain parts of my skillset?” 

“Exactly, you’re getting good at looking at your own strengths and weaknesses,” Kenji said. Saku grinned at him, beaming with pride. 

Kenji looked after where the bandits disappeared into the woods. His eyes were slightly narrowed, but quickly turned back to his normal facial expression. (Seemingly emotionless, but yet pretty stern). 

“It’s weird that there is such a big bandit group,” Fujin commented. Kenji nodded. 

“Most of the time when they band together like that is if there is a large chance of risk. Most bandits don’t attack shinobi protected caravans either,” he said. Fujin stared at his teacher for a moment, his expression unreadable. There was a sense of dread that began to settle in Fujin’s stomach, but he pushed it away. To keep his paranoia at bay or something like that. 

The rest of the trip to the capital was uneventful. They climbed up the final hill that overlooked the valley that the capital found itself in. The buildings scaled along a different mountain, the Fire Lords palace towering above the city. 

“Welcome to Yakedo, the capital in Land of Fire,” Makoto said proudly. He took a deep breath, as if he needed to really enjoy the air. 

It wasn’t particularly fresh, they had travelled far to the south, and the air here was much warmer and more humid than what it was like in Konoha. It didn’t offer much shade either, like the many trees that were scattered around the village. 

They followed Makoto to the gate, and as he had to send his carriage through security he thanked Kenji for a job well done. 

“We’re still going to be in town for a couple of days,” Kenji said. “We need to restock, and I think the kids want to look around the city a bit, so if you need anything don’t hesitate to ask,” he said. Fujin cocked his head to the side. It wasn’t usual, he assumed, to offer more service without pay. He decided not to question Kenji’s word though. 

“Thank you,” Makoto said. “If you need a place to stay you can stop by my house,” he wrote down something on a slip of paper, handing it to Kenji. Kenji nodded gratefully. 

They separated, Kenji leading them through the gates into the city. He showed his pass to the guard at the gate, which was given to all ninja going on missions to the capital on official business. Though technically the mission was done, but Fujin supposed Kenji had added it anyway for restocking. 

If Konoha was a busy city, then there wasn’t a word for how Yakedo was. There were people everywhere. Fujin even struggled to keep up with where his teammates were, and that thought was absolutely terrifying. However, Kenji made sure that they all stuck together. They entered a market area, which was a little bit roomier than the roads. (The roads were huge, by the way. Fujin was sure that you could fit at least one or two houses on it, but they were completely filled with people and stands). 

The market had more space, but it was still very crowded. But at least Fujin could see the sky clearly, and also keep track of the rooftops. (Walking on streets was the most disadvantageous situation that Fujin could find in a city, especially when it was filled with people. It was difficult to see where people could be hiding, _and_ you had basically no space to dodge or move at all, except for walking slowly forward with the crowd). 

Saku immediately found her way to a nearby stand. She looked over a series of ornamental kunai. Fujin glanced over her shoulder curiously. They were no doubt going to break in combat. They weren’t even made of steel. They looked more like glass or maybe ceramic. Though Saku was enamoured. Perhaps for her room. 

Scratch that. It was definitely for her room. 

“Hey! You can’t just take people’s stuff!” Naegi’s voice sounded above the noise of the crowd. Fujin and Saku both turned around as the lady behind the stand gave Saku her kunai. Naegi had the hand of some kid twisted into the air, holding a wallet in the other. The kid Naegi was holding - (holding was perhaps a soft word; he restrained the kid). Anyway, the kid was dirty, to say the least. His clothes were too small, unclean and was torn at the ends. Probably homeless. Prone to stealing. 

Behind Naegi was a much more well-dressed kid. He was the same height as Naegi, his hair clean, neatly combed and while he certainly looked surprised that someone managed to stop a pocket thief from taking his wallet, he didn’t really look concerned about it. 

Naegi released the kid. Fujin couldn’t quite hear what the pocket thief was saying, as he was more mumbling than anything else, and then he disappeared into the crowd. 

The rich kid tapped Naegi on the shoulder, making him turn around. Saku and Fujin both stepped closer, while Kenji simple kept a watchful gaze. He looked like he was looking for someone, but _who_ was hard to say. 

“Thank you,” The rich kid said and bowed with his head. The kid took in Naegi for a moment as Naegi responded, and then turned to look at Saku and Fujin before his eyes widened. 

“You’re shinobi, aren’t you?” He asked excitedly. Saku crossed her arms and grinned. 

“Yeah,” Naegi said. “From Konoha,” he added. The kid grinned. 

“Oh, I must pay you for your service to me. How long are you staying in Yakedo? You must stay at my house for the duration of your mission,” the kid said. Naegi smiled politely, but it was clear that he was getting kind of nervous. He looked over at Kenji for help, but their teacher just shrugged. 

“Come, I’ll lead the way,” the kid said. Fujin frowned. They hadn’t even learned his name. He was being followed by two adults as well, but Fujin would recognise the bandana they wore on their hip anywhere. 

“You must be-” Fujin _started_ , but he was interrupted by Kenji placing a hand on his shoulder. 

“Let’s not bring unnecessary attention to ourselves,” Kenji said. Fujin nodded. 

They were led through the crowds, but they further they walked, the less crowded it became (thank god) and the streets became significantly cleaner. It was pretty clear than there was a pretty big class divide in the city. There was some differences in the neighbourhoods around Konoha as well, but nothing quite as noticeable like this. Fujin was grateful for the relative silence though. There were still quite a lot of people walking around, but they spoke calmly with one another, rather than the crowds at the market that were shouting to each other to get their conversation across. 

They were led further and further up the hill, and they had soon left the city area and moved into the residential areas. The rich residential area. 

And they walked further. And Fujin grew slightly more conscious of how the three of them looked compared to their surroundings. (Their clothes were quite dirty because they had sparred that morning). 

They reached the top of the hill. The only thing separating them from the towering palace was a golden gate, which was slowly opening up in front of them. Fujin swallowed hard. This meant good behaviour. 

This meant _Saku_ had to be on good behaviour. 

“Fujin,” Saku whispered. She inched closer to him. “Who’s this guy anyway? Why are we up here?” She asked. Fujin leaned his head slightly towards her. 

“His guards, they’re part of the twelve ninja guardians that protect the fire lord. They were originally disbanded after some of their members tried to overthrow the hokage, not that it happened. They were reformed while our parents were teenagers,” Fujin explained. 

“I don’t need the full explanation, who’s the kid?!” Saku asked impatiently. 

“Saku - he’s being protected by the Fire Lord’s personal guards, who do you think he is?” Fujin shot back. He did want her to try to piece this together herself. It was no secret that planning and connecting dots were perhaps Saku’s biggest weakness, and he really wanted her to cover that up. (It would suck if she were held back from promotions because she couldn’t plan things and he and Naegi allowed that to happen). 

“The Fire Lord?” Saku asked slowly. Fujin snorted. 

_That_ earned the attention of the kids guards. 

“You disrespect the Fire Lord? The Daimyo of your nation?” One the guards asked loudly. Naegi and Kenji both stared at Fujin. While Kenji’s face was still pretty unreadable, Naegi’s what not. His ‘what the actual fuck are you doing?’ was passed on loud and clear. 

“That was not my intention,” Fujin said carefully. “I was just teaching my friend here about your, uh, group. She was wondering about your charge, who’s identity is not particularly hard to guess, considering his esteemed escort. She simply mistook him for his father,” Fujin said. The guard narrowed his eyes at him. 

“You’re well-spoken for your age,” he commented. “Show the proper respect when you meet the Lord,” 

“Of course,” Fujin said, and bowed his head slightly. He looked up at Kenji, who gave him an approving nod. Naegi still looked pretty panicked. 

“Pftt,” Saku elbowed him playfully. “Causing a diplomatic incident? I expected better of you,” she said. Fujin glared at her. 

The doors into the palace were opened in front of them, revealing a large hall. At the end of it, on a very well decorated and elaborate throne, sat the Fire Lord. 

“Let me formally introduce,” said one of the guards. “The Land of Fire Daimyo, Lord Madoka Ikkyu, and his son, Lord Madoka Tento,” 

Fujin hummed. He was right. He didn’t really doubt it, considering the circumstances with his guard, but there was always the chance of him mistaking someone important from someone else. 

“Tento, who have you brought here?” The Fire Lord asked. His voice was strong, and carried across the room with an echo. The kid – Tento, Fujin supposed, led them even closer to the throne. 

“This proud Shinobi managed to stop a thief from stealing from me, father,” Tento said. He looked uncertain for a minute. Kenji stepped forward. 

“My name is Sasaki Kenji, I’m the jonin commander of Team 7. We were sent here on an escort mission and are just due to stock up before we return to Konoha. These are my students, Uzumaki Naegi, Nara Saku and Namikaze Fuujin,” Kenji introduced, bowing deeply. Saku, Naegi and Fujin shared glanced before following suit, they bowed their heads respectfully. 

“Namikaze?” The Fire Lord asked. Fujin looked up as the man stepped in front of him. “You’re the Uzukage’s son?” He asked. Fujin nodded. The Fire Lord turned to look at Tento. 

“Remember what I taught you about the Uzukage?” He asked his son. Tento nodded. 

“The Uzukage is both military commander and feudal lords of the Land of Whirpools, which he himself restored after they were nearly wiped out sometime after the third shinobi war,” Tento said. 

“Correct. This means that Young Lord Namikaze here is of the same rank as you,” The Fire Lord said. 

“With all due respect,” Fujin said. “I am but a genin, I have no need for titles,” he said. 

“Nonsense,” The Fire Lord said. He clapped his hand. “Young Lord Namikaze and his team will be staying in our best guest rooms, prepare them baths and new clothes,” he ordered as servants appeared. Fujin looked desperately back at Kenji, who simply gave him an innocent smile. 

A servant approached them with a polite smile. 

“Please let me lead you to the rooms,” he said. Saku shot him a mischievous grin. 

“After you, Fujin _-_ _sama_ ,” she drawled on the honorific, bowing dramatically. Fujin glared back at her. 

“Don’t you dare,” he said. Saku feigned an innocent look. 

“Whatever do you mean?” She asked. “I’m just showing you the respect you deserve.” She pushed Fujin forward so that he’d start walking. So much for respect. 

Naegi had the actual audacity to snicker. And though Fujin couldn’t actually read Kenji’s expression, he is sure this expression was the Kenji-equivalent of laughing. 

“You do realize that this will affect you too, right?” Fujin asked Naegi. “I’m not the only one who’ll have to deal with etiquette and fancy clothes,” 

“Whatever you say, o’ mighty prince,” Naegi chuckled. 

They were eventually led up to a hallway of what Fujin presumed were only guest rooms. It took him but a few moments to realize that they would of course get separate rooms. He supposed Saku would find a way to sneak past it anyway, and he’d probably wake to find both her and Naegi in bed with him the next morning, but at the same time he did kidn of want to take the opportunity to practice. 

He loved sleeping with Saku and Naegi, most of the time. Though he also liked waking up with an arm that wasn’t unresponsive because someone (Saku) slept on it the entire night. 

The servant opened the door to one of the rooms. To say that it was large was an understatement. It was probably bigger than the entire living room and kitchen combined at his own house. An overly large bed with heavy draperies and an excess of pillows (which looked way too expensive, Fujin wasn’t sure if he wanted to sleep on them, or if he should just put up his sleeping bag at the floor.) 

“This will be the Young Lord’s room,” the servant said with a bow. “May he please wait here until his bath is drawn, and we can prepare for him some appropriate attire for the evening’s festivities,” 

“Stay here?” Fujin asked. The servant nodded again, beckoning him into the room. He glanced over at his teammates, for a moment uncertain if he actually wanted to leave them alone so soon. Then he remembered that there was no chance in hell that anyone would actually be able to stop him from going to them if he so desired later. Diplomatic incident or not. 

He stepped into the room, and the door shut behind him. He checked the room for potential traps, and checked the window for locks and/or openings that he could use in an emergency – or someone else could use to get in. Even though they were quite high up, that had nothing on him as a ninja. Unfortunately, if he was thrown out of the window things would be a little harder. (gravity does work on them, despite popular belief. Their jumping ability comes from training the chakra inside them and using it to leap.) 

With increasingly less things to do, he sat down and began meditating before the boredom took over. He could always work on his seals, but he’d rather not pull that out when it was only a matter of time before the servant people came back to tell him that his bath was ready. 

\- 

Naegi watched as Saku was led into her room, the one next to Fujin. His own was the next after that, and Kenji would be after him again. It was nice that they were so close to each other. It would make it much easier to find each other if anything were to happen. 

He did not like that they weren’t allowed to leave though. And he got even more concerned about Saku with that fact. If he was feeling nervous about being essentially locked in, then what would Saku be feeling? Though she could see them if she so wanted, because of her eyes. Hopefully that would be enough comfort for now. It wasn’t like they would be locked up forever. 

The bedroom was, well to put it mildly, something he would have expected from a fantasy castle and not quite of this world. And this was a guest room. He didn’t waste any time in unsealing his belongings. (He had some books that he’d picked up that he wanted to read. Among them The Gutsy Ninja (which he wanted to reread)). 

It took perhaps ten or fifteen minutes before a servant emerged from a door inside the room. Naegi hadn’t really noticed that the door was there, he was way too focused on the vast decorations that were in the room. 

“The bath is ready for you,” the servant said with a bow. Naegi nodded dumbly. He went through the door, revealing a relatively large bathroom. There was a tub in the corner, and it was big. (Naegi had never really been that much of a bath person, though he had gone to the hot springs near Konoha along with Kenzo and the other guys in his class once). This tub though, he was actually kind of excited by using it. It seemed very relaxing, which was really nice after having spent so many days on the road and sleeping on shitty matrasses. (Fujin could have sealed in their beds or something, but it would be too problematic to fit in the tent). 

Naegi was left alone in the room, and he quickly removed his clothing behind the folding screen before he entered the steaming water. And to be honest, he didn’t think he’d find something more relaxing than the feeling of the warm water loosening up his muscles and washing away the grime that had built up during the trip. He should do this more often. 

After having washed himself clean, and spent some extra time just soaking, Naegi got up. He was about to put on his own clothes again when he noticed that someone had taken his clothes away, leaving behind neatly followed clothing. Naegi lifted up the top article first. It was a haori. Which meant that the rest of the clothing, which he did notice now that he looked at it, was those very formal style kimonos. Naegi pressed his lips together. This would be hard to move in. 

\- 

The amounts of glare Fujin sent Naegi’s ways during dinner was hard not to laugh at. Both Saku and Naegi’s clothing were of fine craft, but they were also rather simple. Fujin however, had been dressed the same way the Fire Lord’s own son had been. Heavily and very fancy. 

Naegi had never seen Fujin so uncomfortable before. 

He kept testing the sleeves and movements. When they had been walking to dinner, Naegi had seen Fujin testing how far he could step forwards, which was essentially nothing. 

If an emergency appeared, Naegi feared for the cost of the clothing they had been given. Fujin would tear them apart faster than a rabid dog would be on a wild animal. 

Which in itself was a very funny image. 

“Young Lord Fujin, you must join on the next visit between the feudal lords. It would be nice for my son to spend some time with someone his own age,” the Fire Lord said. Fujin smiled stiffly. 

“I am sorry to say that the person who accompanies my father to such meetings is my older brother Akahiko,” Fujin said. “Besides, I’m under the authority of the hokage, I’m not able to join in on Uzu’s affairs,” 

“That is shame. Perhaps I should request you as a bodyguard then, for my son. It is only fitting to have such capable shinobi nearby,” The Fire Lord said. Naegi withheld the snicker he so desperately wanted to release. 

“I’d think someone of my skill level isn’t any match to your Ninja Guardians,” Fujin said. Naegi pressed his lips together. It was such a blatant lie. Fujin would never assume that ninja who spent most of the time at court and not doing anything else would have anything on him, who kept his skills as sharp as he could all the time. It was simple logic. Three genin could defeat an active jonin with teamwork, but they were chuunin level with excellent teamwork. The twelve ninja guardians barely saw any action at all. 

“Fujin is an excellent shinobi,” Kenji said. “But he still has much to learn,” Fujin sent Kenji a grateful glance, but Kenji paid him no mind. 

“Hmm, perhaps in a year or two then,” the Fire Lord said. “You’ll be entering this year’s chuunin exam, correct? It is coming up rather quickly now,” 

Naegi knew they would be entering. It had been their primary goal in training. They were more than capable of passing it, but even if they didn’t, it was still an extremely valuable training exercise. He was also really excited to fight against new and unfamiliar ninja from other nations. 

“We will,” Fujin said. “I believe we’re leaving for Uzu next week, which is still one week before the exam starts,” he looked over at Kenji, who nodded. 

“Even though we can reach Uzu within an hour or two, it’s important to get familiar with the terrain. Though you’re not supposed to arrive to a chuunin exam more than a week ahead. It’s looked at as rather rude, in a sense,” Kenji explained. “It’s a rather peculiar tradition,” 

“Ah yes. Perhaps I should go there as well for the final then. I’d love to see the three of you in some real action,” The Fire Lord said. He looked at his son, who nodded in agreement. 

Naegi thought it was rather weird that Tento didn’t say much, though he supposed this felt like much more of a formal dinner than any one of them had anticipated. Even Saku seemed to struggle. She knew that she wasn’t exactly the expert on speaking respectfully, so she’d rather focus on eating her food as nicely as possible. (Meaning not devouring it at light speed as she usually did.) 

And luckily for himself, Fujin was the focus of the Fire Lord. Naegi was definitely grateful that he wasn’t in Fujin’s position, though he would never stop bullying Fujin for it anyway. 

Fujin looked about to object to that as well. Or rather, skilfully try to avoid having any focus of the Fire Lord on him by using polite words, but Kenji spoke first. 

“Of course, it would be an honour. Fujin here has a goal of becoming the next Hokage, so showing his skills to you would definitely be something of great importance to him. And the other two as well are excellent shinobi. It would be a great honour for us as team 7, and Konoha as a whole to have a chance to show you the results of our new training regime,” Kenji said. Fujin turned around, almost ready to glare at Kenji. _Kenji._ It was closer to a death wish than anything. 

“Hokage? An excellent goal,” The Fire Lord said with a smile. “With your heritage, it seems almost destined,” he then turned to Naegi and Saku. “And you two? You must have some grand dreams as well?” He asked. Naegi felt the embarrassment creep up on him. 

“I just want the three of us to stay together,” Saku answered. Naegi knew that this wish required a lot more strength and will than the Fire Lord would ever understand, with their history and Danzo and Orochimaru hanging over their shoulders. The Fire Lord smiled though. 

“A most noble goal,” he said, his tone almost... sweet? There was something weirdly kind about the way he said it. Perhaps his rating as a person went up a little in Naegi’s mind. He seemed less like an unknowing rich dude, and more like someone respectable. 

Perhaps there was something more to the Fire Lord than just a figurative leader. 

He looked at Naegi, who shuffled a bit in his seat. 

“I... Want to find peace, protect it,” he said. The Fire Lord looked at him, for a moment confusing clouded his features. 

“We are in a time of peace though, are we not?” The Fire Lord asked. Naegi knew that he would never understand the shadows that hid underneath the surface of the world. It was something you’d have to experience. See with your own to eyes just how ugly things still were. 

“There are always those who threaten it,” Naegi said. “I know the people who do, though they are still way out of my league,” Naegi huffed. “There are people who think that peace is the temporary, and war is the permanent... but I will change that,” Naegi said. “I will find true peace, and make it stay,” he said, meeting the Fire Lord’s eyes. For a moment, the Fire Lord seemed surprised, but then he grinned. It was almost shocking. 

“You’re interesting,” the Fire Lord said. “I must say, you stopping that pocket thief and coming here must have been destiny,” he said, looking at Naegi. His look was hard to determine. There was a strength to it, but not a challenging look as well. 

“I can’t wait to see what kind of person you’ll become,” 

\-- 

Saku sighed with relief once the door shut behind her. She got rid of her kimono immediately. It was restricting and unbearably hot. She jumped into her bed, letting herself sink in between the fluffy pillows and very very soft mattress. 

It was very comfortable. And she had a very strong desire to see how far she could jump with it. But she wouldn’t dare – if she ruined something it would probably eat her entire life savings in one go. 

With the exhaustion of the day, and the trip itself having accumulated up until this moment, it didn’t take her long to fall asleep. She thought she’d have more trouble, being the first time she slept alone in forever. But the exhaustion held such a strong hold on her that it was too hard to stay awake. 

And then it wasn’t. 

She woke up with her heart hammering in her chest. Sweat covering her body and making the sheets damp and uncomfortable. She searched around for Fujin or Naegi, but finding none of them. It was hard to recall where she was. She got out of the bed, tumbling to the floor. 

She scurried to one of the corners of the room, pressing her back up against the wall as she did her best to connect herself with as much surface area as possible. To ground herself. To remind her that she was _there_. She sucked in a deep breath, activating her byakusharingan. 

And she could see. 

She could see Kenji and Naegi sleeping in their rooms in front of her. She could see the occasional guard passing by the hallway that intersected with theirs right outside Naegi’s room. She could see Fujin sitting on the bed, seemingly having fallen asleep mid-meditation. She exhaled and inhaled again before she got to her feet. She creeped out of her room, with all the stealth and grace she could muster. Perhaps grace wasn’t the right word for it, but it was certainly stealthy. 

She was about to enter Fujin’s room when she noticed an unfamiliar signature sneak through the hallways some distance away from her. To be fair, most signatures were unfamiliar to her here, however, this one was concealing his chakra. (Doing so by great skill, but not enough to conceal himself from her superior eyes.) 

She concealed her chakra, quickly jumping up to the roof and crawling along it. 

_“Chameleon_ _jutsu_ _,”_ Saku whispered. Quickly she noticed her body ‘disappearing’. It was a useful technique. Unfortunately, she learned it from the snake. It was a technique that could only be discovered by the byakugan or sharingan by sight. Though sound and scent could also give it away. 

She followed the signature for some time before she managed to catch up. She noticed that she was in a much more guarded area than the guest wing her team stayed in. The signature she had been following looked like a palace guard, and he was moving like one. But palace guards were not rained shinobi, and therefor had not any strong chakra signature. This person had lots. She narrowed her eyes slightly, watching up ahead the possible paths the man could take. 

Ah. Tento’s signature. Of course. 

This was an assassination. Or a kidnapping. Though Tento was actually older than herself. Around sixteen or something. (Why the Fire Lord had called Fujin and Tento similar age was beyond her, the difference was massive.) 

She sped forward along the wall, making sure to conceal her footsteps’ sound. The muffling technique was hard to maintain alone, even more so with the chameleon jutsu as well and sticking to the wall. By no means impossible, but she hadn’t been able to practice this particular combo all that much. (Stealth opportunities rarely showed themselves when she was only now doing a C-rank mission. Even though this isn’t technically her mission. What kind of rank would this be?) 

She saw how the man made a clone before turning the corner, having it transform into a slightly different guard. He then went up to the two guards watching the door, talked to them briefly, before the two went on their way. Saku frowned. Most of the time, if you were disguising yourself as an intruder, you wouldn’t go up to speak to actual guards. It was a sure way to get discovered as an imposter. How long had he been planning this? 

He stood still for some time before he created a new clone, slipping inside the room. Saku quickly vaulted from her point on the wall to the other side of the hallway, holding her breath as she focused on the muffling jutsu. She couldn’t mess up this. 

She skilfully manoeuvred her way through the closing doors. Luckily for her, and unluckily for the assailant she was about to meet, the doors at the palace was so large that even just opening it slightly was more than enough for her to slip through as it began to close. They also closed very slowly, giving her the time she needed to get there without alerting the fake guards. 

She watched as the man slowly approached the bed. He didn’t carry any weapons, so it seemed like a kidnapping situation more than an assassination. The latter would’ve been cooler to stop though. 

Saku - the great assassin stopper! 

Anyways, the man brought out a cloth, and he was going to press it towards Tento’s mouth. Saku was now really not glad she hadn’t brought with her any equipment. She used chakra to dash off her spot on the wall, crashing into the man. Tento let out a loud yelp from waking up. Saku stared down at the man, who was now glaring hard back at her. 

“Who are you?!” Saku shouted. The tomoe in her eyes spinning wildly. The man’s glare disappeared into something more of shock. Before Saku could do anything, she was flung backwards by one of the clones. She quickly spun around, slamming her palm into the clone’s stomach, dispelling it immediately. 

“How did you know I wasn’t a guard?” The man asked. Saku turned around, watching in a state of near fear as his face changed violently, his skin stretching weirdly, and his eyes seemed to pop out for a moment before they got pulled back in. He was a big man. A pretty ugly man as well. Like he wore an ugly shirt and he had it half open which revealed an equally ugly and hairy chest. Even his beard was cropped in a weird ass way Saku grimaced. That looked nasty. 

Saku forced a smile. “Well now you’ve certainly gone and blown your cover,” she said. She paused for a second, taking his features for a second. “Aren’t you that... what’s-his-name, or I guess your name, ya know, the leader of those Maju bandits!” Saku said. 

“You know of me?” The man asked. 

“Well, the team currently taking out your bandits know you,” Saku said. “My friends,” she added with a shrug. 

He narrowed his eyes. He looked over at Tento, who was currently cowering in the corner. 

“You’re making life unnecessarily hard for me, Konoha genin,” the man said. Saku frowned. 

“I’d say you’re making it hard for yourself. It’s not my fault you decided to attack the Daimyo’s son while me and my team’s here,” she stated. “Shoja!” She exclaimed. That was the name! 

“It’s Shojoji!” The man shouted. He rushed at Saku, and he was surprisingly fast. She was about to jump out of the way when she crashed into another clone. 

“Shit!” Saku exclaimed as he grappled her. She had the disadvantage when it came to size. The clone walked towards Tento, and Saku glared hard towards it, as if her glare alone would make it pop out of existence. 

Another time perhaps. 

She felt Shojoji’s jaw expand around her head. Now _That_ was nasty. She lifted her feet together before slamming them down and at his crotch. He yelled in pain as he dropped her, allowing Saku to jump away from him quickly. 

“What the fuck was that for?!” Saku shouted. 

Shojoji smirked. “My corpse clone jutsu,” he said darkly. “Requires that I consume the brain of a living person,” 

Saku shivered. “Why would you do that? It sounds awful.” Damn, this man was nasty on multiple levels. 

“It gives me all the memories and skills of the person I’ve devoured. All their jutsu, all their knowledge, it becomes mine,” Shojoji said with a sick grin. Saku frowned. She didn’t have all that many options to fight with. Especially not while the clone was tying down Tento as well. He’d probably be moved to a secondary location if Saku didn’t hurry. And if she was defeated, there would probably be some time before Fujin or Naegi would be able to find her or Tento. 

She loved Naegi and Fujin like brothers. But they kinda sucked at tracking. 

Not to mention that she _really_ didn’t want to use any fire jutsu inside this palace. (The damage! The money! She did not want to be on the receiving end of Kenji’s lecture after she would cost Konoha millions of property damage.) 

Though she supposed saving Tento might save her from that wrath. Though she better use jutsu if she had no other option. 

And she was also dying to test out the true strength of her Gentle Fist. 

He would come at her again. It was inevitable. 

But he also seemed unfamiliar with the sharingan in itself. To be fair, there were only a handful of users left. (There were technically six, but that’s details. Someone might have six fingers.) 

She settled into the starting pose of the Gentle Fist. The wide step, her arm outstretched behind her. She took a deep breath. She had speed. And she could _see._

And then she created a shadow clone with a single hand sign, sending the other one straight at the clone to dispel it. Using her momentary act of surprise, she sped forward, quickly sliding around Shojoji. He noticed her running, but he was too big to turn around quickly enough before she hit several chakra points along his arm. It went limp quickly. Saku grinned. 

Shojoji spun around. “Wind Release: Wind Count’s Shield!” 

A blast of air spun around him, throwing Saku away and into the wall. She quickly caught herself, leaping of it against as she aimed a hard kick at his head. He blocked it with his usable arm. Luckily for Saku, by removing his other arm he was unable to attempt a grab at her leg. She jumped, using his blocking arm as a leaping platform. She flipped down behind him, and as he spun around aiming a kick at her side, Saku slid down underneath it, slamming her own foot under the one he was currently using to hold his balance. 

He fell to the ground with a crash, and Saku grinned. 

This was _fun._

She jumped up, angling her foot to slam down on his face. However, he managed to roll out of the way. How such a large man even managed that speed was beyond Saku. But she was faster in the grand scheme of it all. He wouldn’t be able to keep up with her. 

His Count’s Shield jutsu worked a lot like Saku imagined the kaiten or even the rasengan to work. A massive spinning force to protect himself against attacks, and if he focused it, which she thought was very likely, due to the mobility of wind style jutsu, it would hurt a lot if he managed to hit her. 

Even the shielding version of it hurt a lot, Saku noted by the several cuts on her forearms which she had used to block last minute. 

She grinned, speeding towards Shojoji again with a readied strike. The technique she hadn’t mastered yet, but she had secretly watched Neji and Hanabi spar once or twice. Or ten. 

“Gentle Fist Art;” Saku said lowly. She felt a sense of serenity fall over her. “Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four palms!” She sped forwards, the first two strikes connecting. 

“Two palms,” 

Then another two. Then the next four. Her speed increasing with each strike. The adrenaline rising with each pullback. The expression of Shojoji as he could barely register what was going on as his tenketsu shut down one by one. 

“Eight.” Followed by eight more strikes. Her heart beating. Everything was moving in slow motion. Each drop of sweat that was flung of her was clear as day, reflected in the pale moonlight from the window on the far side of the move. 

“Sixteen.” She said, before beginning her next set of sixteen strikes. Thirty-two in total, it was now things became really fast. 

“Thirty-two!” She said, her voice hard as she swiftly went through her strikes. Shojoji seemed to be near blackout point already, having been pushed back several steps already. He tried desperately to ground himself as she landed the hits. As she got to the end of her last thirty-two strikes, she felt the excitement build up even more. Even further. She wanted more. 

On her last strike, she charged even more chakra into her palm. Screw the Hyuuga accuracy. She wanted to push her limit. How far could she push it? How powerful could her strikes become? 

“Sixty-Four Palms!” She exclaimed, slamming her final strike into her abdomen. Shojoji screamed in pain as he was pushed back by a blast of chakra, crashing into the wall again and this time running straight through it and into the open air. Saku swore. She didn’t mean to kill him! 

A golden chain shot out from beside her, grabbing onto Shojoji’s leg quickly. 

“Naegi!” Saku exclaimed as she turned around. Naegi was holding the chain tightly, halfway into the room. Fujin was standing in the hallway. 

“If you’re gonna stop an assassination at least tell us! It’s no fun if you leave us out of it!” Fujin exclaimed. Saku grinned. Tento quickly ran over to Fujin probably finding him the safest option out of the three. He had after all seen Saku punch a guy through a wall and into the air. Naegi was just busy saving his life. 

Not that he deserved it. 

“It was actually an attempted kidnapping,” Saku said. “Though I did hope it was an assassination. It is a lot cooler to stop,” Saku chuckled. She walked towards the hole, watching as Shojoji’s unconscious body was dragged up along the wall. 

As soon as he was over the ledge, Fujin quickly threw at her a bundle of ninja wire. Saku quickly went to work to tie Shojiji up. Which was easier said and done cos he was pretty heavy. 

“You’re...” Tento’s voice sounded. “You’re so cool,” he said. Fujin laughed loudly. Saku turned to glare at him, because she knew that it wasn’t an agreeable laugh, but that he thought about earlier that morning when she had tripped over the tent and broken it down while Naegi was still inside. 

‘So much for great eyesight’ Fujin had said. Laughing his ass off. 

Naegi wasn’t too fond of her weight waking him up either, but at least he didn’t think it was funny. 

Saku, on the other hand, grinned at Tento. 

“Just doin’ my job,” she said. Naegi rolled his eyes. 

“This isn’t our job. We aren’t getting paid for rescuing his life this time,” He said. 

Tento seemed to stiffen at that. “This time...?” 

“Tento! Son!” A voice exclaimed. Saku looked at the door, seeing the Fire Lord along with Kenji and the ninja guardians making their way through. Tento ran towards his father, hugging him tightly. Kenji went over to her, double checking that the man was probably tied down. 

“We’ll bring him back to Konoha for interrogation,” Kenji said. “Fujin,” he said. Fujin nodded quickly, moving to Shojoji’s side before bringing out his sealing set. He opened up a scroll with a very intricate design. Saku couldn’t make sense of any of it, to be honest. He placed a palm over the seal, and then had the other touch Shojoji. He closed his eyes in concentration, his brows furrowed deeply as the seal began glowing. Shojoji was then pulled into the seal, before he completely disappeared from view and the seal stopped giving off light. 

“I must admit that using my prosthetic for fuinjutsu is... difficult. Sealing larger objects is much harder now than it was before,” Fujin said. Kenji frowned, but didn’t comment any further. 

“Father! She saved my life!” Tento said, pointing right at Saku. The Fire Lord stared at her with an expression she couldn’t quite place. Gratitude, relief, happiness, surprise, it was a mix of a lot of things. He quickly walked over to her, grabbing her hands that were slightly covered in blood after her cuts from the wind jutsu. 

“Thank you,” he said. And his voice was so raw with emotion that Saku couldn’t help but to smile. 

“Anytime,” she said. 

She knew that as a ninja, anytime is a bit big of a promise. But she would always save as many people as she could. 

\- 

Despite all their efforts (Fujin) to not get a party thrown in their honour, the Fire Lord got them to say another night. 

The Fire Lord did not have any military power. But he did have a certain sway regardless. And around the end of the war, he had decided along with the other feudal lords that shinobi who did great service to not only the hidden village, but the country as a whole would be awarded some sort of medal, in a sense. Each medal individual for the country. 

It was a simple thing, really. A red crystal in the shape of a flame. It had a golden kanji reading ‘fire’ etched into it. It was not something you could recreate, as this particular stone and craftmanship was done by only one specific person, who carried the secret of its craft until he gave it to one successor. It had been something they would gift to important friends of theirs, to prove that they are important or something. It would let them reap certain benefits in the matters of the state. 

Now, it had little less value, and it was more of a reminder to the person it was given that if they needed help from the daimyo, they could seek it. Of course, you couldn’t ask him of anything. But it put you in a friendly position, in a sense. 

And the ceremony for getting it was way too extravagant. Saku loved it. 

She did enjoy the attention. And she loved feeling like she had actually done good. It was perhaps the most opposite than what they had been doing for Orochimaru. There, they had been concealed in darkness, doing dirty and bloody work. Here, they were the centre of attention, surrounded by the light and warmth of the sun, with hundreds cheering for their achievement. 

Naegi seemed shy enough by it. He was all red and stuttering and fidgeting. He didn’t seem to be able to calm down. Naegi had never been much on the receiving end of attention, with Fujin and Saku both being very big spotlight holders. Fujin in his extreme intellect, and Saku with her very eccentric personality. He didn’t seem too uncomfortable though, he just wasn’t used to this particular situation. It would probably pass soon enough. 

And then next you had Fujin. Who’s face was hard to explain as well. He seemed to be extremely annoyed, but at the same time he had a polite smile on his face. It was enough that any stranger would think of it as a rather pleasant smile. While anyone who knew him would instantly know that he’d rather be doing D-ranks the entire day than this. Not that he had a problem with the attention, because Fujin had fought in the arena that Orochimaru had brought them too more than once, but he hated the fact that he had to stand there in formal clothing and be polite about it. At least right now. He would grow to love it eventually. 

Hopefully. 

Kenji sensei was also awarded. Why they gave it to the entire team was not something Saku actually understood at first. She had been the one who actually did the stopping of the kidnapping, after all. However, there had apparently been more people attacking. They were the diversion. Fujin and Naegi had stopped them while Kenji had gone to protect the Fire Lord. 

They had put a stop to that and made it to Saku’s location as soon as they could afterwards. It all happened very fast. It wasn’t the biggest diversion, so the attack itself hadn’t been hard to stop, but the amount of running around would definitely have let Shojoji slip away with Tento if Saku hadn’t stopped him. 

After the ceremony, they had gone back to their rooms. (All except Tento, who’s room had been wrecked by the fight.) 

And Saku hadn’t found it easy to fall asleep. She was restless. And the panic that had originally set her off last night creeped in the back of her mind. She sighed, making her way out of her room before she headed into Naegi’s. She didn’t find him there, even though she had clearly seen him enter earlier. She chuckled slightly, heading the opposite direction and into Fujin’s room. There, she found Fujin and Naegi snuggled up to each other. Though Naegi was laying on top of Fujin’s covers, so it clearly wasn’t planned on Fujin’s side. Saku grinned. She wasn’t the only one having trouble letting go of their sleeping habits. She created a couple of clones, sending them to go fetch her cover and Naegi’s before she climbed into bed with the two. Soon, the clones came back and quickly draped the covers over her and Naegi, keeping them warm through the night. 

\-- 

Fujin woke the next morning not feeling either of his arm. He opened his eyes, seeing both Naegi and Saku haven stolen an arm each, though Naegi was laying on his prosthetic. It didn’t actually give him any discomfort. Fujin chuckled. He’d expected this might happen. 

He wouldn’t admit that he loved it. Not yet, anyway. 

\- 

The trip home was significantly faster, especially now that they could leap through the trees. It made the trip a lot more fun as well, with the rush of the wind and smooth manoeuvres. 

Normally they wouldn’t have risked spending so much energy on the travel. They had enough time, after all. But they had all been eager to get home as soon as possible. 

Because they didn’t have that much more time to relax. There were only two weeks left. And it would be a week of extreme training with their respective teachers, and then there was the week in Uzu where they would rest up, prepare and get familiar with the layout. 

Soon. 


	21. Saku's stupidity is a blessing

It wasn’t often that they all trained together in the afternoon. But today,  Kakashi had wanted the three of them together. He’d been training them all individually  these past few months, but this w eek was different.

They were testing out how much they actually knew, so that they could decide  wether or not they could use it during the exam. Today, they did  Kakashi together,  Naegi and  Fujin went to  Gai while  Saku went to the  Hyuugas . Unfortunately, some of their teachers, like  Itachi who was now busy planning the very exam they were training for, and other teachers like  Hayate who had more work to do making sure the village was safe while the  Hokage was planning to leave the village soon.

And though  Obito had really wanted to watch every single exam in person, the work of the  Hokage would simply not allow that. He’d have to wait for the final examination.

“ Fujin . You have to focus  on what’s happening here , not the exam,”  Kakashi’s voice pierced through  Fujin’s thoughts. He met  Kakashi’s gaze. 

Kenji was difficult to read. But  Kakashi was impossible if he didn’t want to be read. But unlike Kenji,  Kakashi was a rather easy-going man.  Lazy, often late, bad humour. There was a lot of words  Fujin could use to describe him. 

“I am almost paying attention,”  Fujin said.  Saku and  Naegi were currently fighting each other. Or rather,  Naegi was using offensive  ninjutsu while  Saku was using defensive. It was an exercise to make sure they knew how and when to apply the correct defensive  jutsu . They had just switched, with  Naegi having been the first to go defensive. When they were done,  Fujin would step in for  Naegi and go defensive while  Saku went back to offensive.

“Assess them then,”  Kakashi said. And though the majority of his face covered ,  Fujin was pretty sure he could see a smile.

“ Naegi uses water style and earth style the most for offensive and defensive respectively. He does have  jutsu capable of offense and defence in both natures, but he seems to categorize them more than he should.  While he has the chakra control to merge for example lightning and water, but he seems to choose not to use them.  Perhaps he’s afraid of overkill,”  Fujin shrugged.  Naegi had always been somewhat caref ul. “Besides, he seems to prefer using his chains much more than any  jutsu . His weakest element is fire, with wind and earth being his middle ground and water and lightning are his best, ” he watched as  Naegi fired a series of water bullets, chipping away on  Saku’s earth wall.

“ Saku’s primary  jutsu are lightning and fire. Probably because  Sasuke has been training her,”  Fujin said. “Fire is her favourite; she can also control it much more than I’d expect.  For defensive... well, she does also use earth style. There aren’t many defensive  jutsu for fire and lightning. Her weakest element is water and wind, with earth being right there in the middle, but she still has a higher level of control  over them than most  chuunin , who only know one element,”  Fujin stated. 

“ Knowing elemental  jutsu at this level is astonishing. It’s unfortunate that you skill with manipulating elements came from him,”  Kakashi said. 

Fujin leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. “ Orochimaru taught us much,” he said. “And while I wished it never happened, I can’t argue with the results.”

He could feel  Kakashi’s stare. It was a thought  Fujin hadn’t been quite able to shake. The fact that the only reason he and  Saku and  Naegi were at the level they were now, was because of him. Any other teacher would never have been able to do what  Orochimaru had done. Half of their skills wouldn’t even have been possible if not for him.

Fujin wasn’t exactly grateful. He hated  Orochimaru with every  fiber of his being. But  Orochimaru was the reason why he was strong. But also the reason why there was a demon hiding in his gut behind a seal they didn’t quite understand. Its strength was unknown, and its influence was unknown.

Kakashi stood up. “Alright,” he said. “It’s switch time,  Naegi out and  Fujin on the defensive,” 

Fujin and  Naegi bumped their fists together as they passed each other. Saku was at least fired up, her  offensive jutsu were probably  at their  strong est right now. On any normal opponent,  Fujin would’ve guessed that she would be close to being tired out. But it was  Saku . She was rarely tired.

Of course, most of the  jutsu they were using were mid-range / long-range. If they’d been doing close-range they wouldn’t have been able to properly use their defensive  jutsu , which was half the point of the exercise.

“Fire style: Great Fireball  Jutsu !”  Saku shouted as soon as  Kakashi gave the symbol.

“Swift Wind Wall!” The trick to using a wind  jutsu to defend against a fire  jutsu was by having it move much faster.  Fujin’s rotation on his wind wall had to be as fast, if not faster than the  rasengan . He could feel as the flame mixed in with the wind, creating an inferno outside. It needed to be faster. He charged more chakra into it, focusing hard as he increased the speed. He slowly began to push the flames away from him before he mad e  it burst , the flames being snuffed out by the force.  Fujin grinned as  Saku stared at him.

“You idiot!” She shouted. “I thought I fried you!”

It was entirely possible that it could have happened. If  Fujin had been exhausted by this time, that extra push at the end wouldn’t work. But using the Wind Wall against fire was the best way to make sure that it had  strenght . Now, it was certain that it would protect against most projectile attacks. 

“I think I would’ve screamed a bit more if the fire actually touched me,”  Fujin stated. 

Kakashi clapped his hands to get their attention again. “Come on, get back to it,” he said. Risk wasn’t something that shook  Kakashi in any way. If it was because he didn’t care or not  Fujin didn’t know.

“Earth Style Barrier: Inversed Dome Prison!”  Fujin exclaimed first. Rock  grew around him, covering him in darkness.  It was better to put it up sooner than  Saku could attack him. He could hear the rapid fire of water bullets crash into his dome.

The Dome Prison technique was something  Orochimaru had been insistent that they all should learn as a technique to wear down their opponents. It covered their targets in rock, and every time they attacked the wall it would regenerate, eventually make them run out of air or  wear their chakra down. 

Fujin had used the mechanism to inverse the result. It could hardly be counted as an original technique, because all he did was reverse the effects of it. Now, he was inside the dome, and the outside would regenerate. Unfortunately, you could only have it up for so long before you ran out of air. He could hold his breath for around five minutes in total. But it would be a total bore to stay in there all the time. However, the purpose wasn’t to have fun by using defensive techniques but making sure that they held while your partner could test out their offens ive techniques and combos.

A loud crash sounded from outside, and for a moment,  Fujin could see a glimmer of light through his dome. What the actual fuck had  Saku used there and thank God that he wasn’t in that spot.

Fujin ran through a series of  handsigns . “Earth Style Barrier!” 

A wall raised in front of him as he dropped the dome. He heard  Saku whine from the other side of his new defensive line.

“I wanted to break through it!”  Saku shouted at him. 

Fujin peeked out from the side of his wall with a wide grin. “You were taking too long,” he said.  Saku replied by firing several fire bullets at the wall.  Fujin quickly ducked back, crouching slightly as the edges of his wall began to melt. It was important to make yourself a small target behind th ese walls, because if a large  jutsu came your way, you better not be close enough to th e edges. 

“The Barrier isn’t the strongest defensive  jutsu ,”  Kakashi said. His voice, despite being so calm and bored sounding, was still louder than the roar of  Saku’s next fireball. “Why is it a good defensive technique?” He asked  Fujin .

“Low chakra cost,”  Fujin said. “You can easily put up multiple of them as well, even more effective when...” he trailed off, creating five shadow clones who raised their own walls up in front of  Fujin’s slowly disintegrating one. “You use them in multiples,”

“ Gah !”  Saku shouted. “You’re too annoying when defensive!” She accused. 

Fujin wanted to shrug, but it wouldn’t really do much behind his wall. 

“What was that  jutsu you used that almost pierced through my dome?”  Fujin asked.  Saku laughed, though it wasn’t a real laugh but the sort of cocky laugh you do on purpose to sound superior.

“It was a lightning style technique! How do you feel  being beaten at your own game?”  Saku shouted. 

“I can’t really call lightning style my game, but it was surely powerful. Did you learn that from  Sasuke ?”  Fujin asked.  Saku’s silence was enough of an answer to be honest.

A new roaring fireball hit  Fujin’s wall, and he could see his clones disappearing around him after using all their chakra to maintain the walls. One after one, before it nearly melted through  Fujin’s last barrier.  He furrowed his brows as he put up a second wall. It required a bit more concentration to put them both up at the same time, but it was definitely not impossible. To be fair, any one of them could do it, but it was more the matter of putting it up  quickly enough before you became food to the fire technique headed at you.

It was getting rather late. They had pushed it further than normal, and by this time  Fujin and the gang were already home.  Arima often brought his team home as well, because  Saku loved having multiple people over.  Fujin had been reluctant at first, but he was already good friends with  Asuke after spending so many nights talking with her, but  he was also becoming increasingly good friends with  Mizuko . Both of them were rather quiet, and they both liked to observe the others more than  any h ting . 

Fujin struggled against the wall, he was about to reinforce it when a sharp pain shot through from the seal on his tongue. He missed his timing, and  Saku’s fireball  burst through the wall. A distant part of  Fujin’s mind reminded him that he should use a sub stitution, but his active mind was elsewhere. 

He was fully prepared to take that fireball head on when he felt someone grab a hold of him, pulling him away.  Fujin looked up, seeing  Kakashi . He felt  the hold on him tighten.

“What was that?”  Kakashi asked quietly. 

A part of  Fujin wanted nothing else than to stay in  Kakashi’s arms now. The few seconds felt like an absolute security.  But  Kakashi let him go, and  Fujin pretended not to be disappointed.

“I have... an errand,”  Fujin said. He saw  Saku and  Naegi pale slightly by his side. When they had moved there,  Fujin didn’t know. He was struggling to pay attention.

He focused, using the body flicker to move a distance away from there. He had to refocus. Or perhaps it was the opposite way. He had to detach himself. Ignore the anxiety. Ignore the pain.

\--

Saku stared at the point  Fujin disappeared from. 

It had been too long. Too many times. Too much worry and pain and bothersome people deciding that their personal hobby was to make her,  Naegi and Fujin as miserable as they could. She’d had enough of it.

Saku was a kind person. Yes, she did feel annoyed a lot of times. And yes, she had never been scared of showing the emotions that she feels. She had been terrified before. She had been frustrated and angry. But this situation...

Now she felt wrath. 

Normally a person who felt wrath would take it out on anyone and anything. And though  Saku definitely  _ seemed _ like the type to take it out on anyone and anything, she was not. 

Kakashi kept his eyes trained on both of them first, before he looked up at the sky.

“I guess training is done for the day,” he said. “I doubt I’ll see you again before the  chuunin exam, but I’ll see if I can get there at the final.  Obito will probably put me as his guard anyway,”  Kakashi said.  Saku and  Naegi nodded without a word, still out of it.  Kakashi placed a hand on both of their shou lders before he left them alone. Nobody claimed he was a people’s person.

“We’re going after him,”  Saku said.  Naegi nodded quickly. 

Saku activated her  byakusharingan , noticing  Fujin’s presence immediately. They had enough distance that he wouldn’t be able to notice them. But  Saku could see him without a problem, his chakra was like a beacon in the distance, and she could see  _ far. _

They sprinted after him, if they were fast, hopefully they would be able to find  Danzo’s hideout.  Arima had mentioned that it was hidden by some sort of barrier that wouldn’t be seen through with the  byakugan , so they had to know where the entrance was before they would be able to enter. 

There was no way they were going to let  Fujin be a part of  Danzo’s schemes anymore. 

“Should we contact more people?”  Naegi asked.  Saku nodded.

“Not immediately,” she said. “I don’t want them to try and stop us from getting  Fujin out of there,” she said. There simply wasn’t a reality where she was going to be left out of this fight. She was going to save  Fujin from that ugly old bastard with her own two hands. And  Naegi’s .

“I’ll send a clone to  Hitomi ,”  Naegi said. “She’ll tell the rest of our group before they’ll even consider going to the adults. That will give us the time delay that we need,” he said. 

Saku saw  Fujin enter in between some roots of a really way too old tree. It would probably fall over quickly. She saw  Fujin’s chakra disappear behind a barrier quickly enough.

“If the train and us can break through  Uzu’s barrier, then this one is going to be easy,”  Saku stated.  Naegi nodded in agreement. Any damage they took from it he would be able to heal anyway.

Saku slipped through the roots with ease once they got to the location, finding her focus being even more clear than it had been before. Perhaps the sixty-four palms  technique  was doable again. She’d be able to keep up.

They felt the barrier as  Saku stepped forward. She was about to attempt to punch through it when  Naegi grabbed her shoulder.

“I’ll handle this,” he said. He pulled his fist back, and  Saku could clearly see the amount of chakra he was building up in his arm. She cringed, remembering that time she herself had attempted to do that and broken her entire arm. But  Naegi punched forward, and right before the moment of impact he released all the chakra at the point of his fist.

The barrier shattered, and  Naegi’s punch left nothing more than rubble and dust in its wake. 

“Aunt Sakura is really not someone you should mess with,”  Naegi chuckled.  Saku couldn’t help but to nod dumbly in agreement.

They met each other’s gaze before continuing on.  Saku could see anyone who tried to stop them from a mile away. Her  byakugan abil i ties might be more  disoriented ,  but her  sharingan ones were not. She could easily predict the movement of those who came to meet them, and she swiftly jabbed their chakra out of existence. 

Any opponent that she accidentally didn’t hit hard enough was quickly smashed through a wall by  Naegi behind her. Note to self; don’t piss of  Naegi either.

They ventured further into the hideout. It became pretty clear that the ROOT base had tunnels stretching far out. It probably went under  Konoha entirely, and who knew how much further some of them might go? 

Soon, they heard a familiar voice. The remnants of a shout of pain  echoed through the hall.  Saku glared  in front of her, as if it alone would be able to stop the source of that pain  she’d heard. 

“Let’s hurry,”  Naegi said.  Saku sprinted forwards , ignoring  Naegi’s slight suggestion that maybe they shouldn’t sprint due to unpredictability. But  Saku could see, and she was not going to slow down. 

They entered a large room. At the far end of it, there was a platform. It looked like the spot a leader would stand on, but at the moment it was vacant. 

Instead, it’s usual occupier was on the ground floor. Despite his old age, he was standing tall.  On the ground in front of him,  Fujin was crouched on the ground. 

“I swear I had nothing to do with this,”  Fujin said weakly.  Danzo’s cane slammed into his head before  Saku could even yell for  Fujin to watch out. 

“You bastard!”  Saku screamed. She shot forwards,  starting to go through hand signs when a wall of wind smashed into her, sending her crashing into  Naegi who did his best to catch her.  Danzo sneered at them. 

“If you two are here, then others surely are following,” he said. He kicked  Fujin so he rolled over onto his back. 

“A distraction is necessary then. Good thing  Orochimaru told me how to do this. He had wanted me to wait until the time was right, but he’ll see that there was no other option. Even if it is at the cost of a subject or two,”  Danzo said darkly. 

His fingers glowed an eerily red, and then he slammed his hand down on  Fujin’ s stomach.  Fujin let out a suppressed grunt. As if his voice got caught in his throat. He didn’t move, but his body tensed up harshly.  Danzo removed his hand . 

“I wonder how you’ll do when you have to fight against your friend,”  Danzo chuckled darkly. He moved up the stairs to the platform . He stood there at the top of the stairs, watching. 

Saku was about to run after him when  Naegi harshly grabbed a hold of her. He pointed her attention to  Fujin . 

He was no longer on his back, but he’d managed to roll over to his stomach. He was holding around himself in agony. Then,  he  pushed himself of the ground.  Saku could see a deep red chakra seep out from underneath him. The temperature seemed to drop. Everything was eerily quiet. 

Then  Fujin looked at them. 

Saku took a step back, her  sharingan taking in the scene with great detail. She would never be able to forget. 

Fujin’s eyes were blood red and slit like a cats eye. He stared at them with no expression. And then it hit them. 

A feeling much like  Orochimaru’s own killer intent. One that made you paralysed to your spot as if you weren’t certain if you’d rather kill yourself than face the thing in front of you. 

Fujin roared, his teeth growing into sharp fangs as the marks on his teeth became more pronounced.  Red chakra shot out from him, rushing around the room before it began to circle around him. He let out a low growl. A deep red chakra began to bubble out from him, slowly covering  Fujin entirely.  Three tail like shapes grew out behind him, swaying slowly. 

Saku shuddered.  She could hardly recognise the thing in front of her as  Fujin . She had seen him be influenced by the chakra before, but nothing like this. She would never have expected this. 

She felt  Naegi take in a shaky breath next to her. Both of them were trembling. They knew they had to do something, but what?  Saku spotted  Danzo beginning to leave.

“He’s running away!” She said.  Naegi got to his feet slowly. He seemed to fall into one of those weird zones. When everything else went away.

“My bloodline should be capable of calming a tailed beast. At least restraining him,”  Naegi said. “ Danzo is just as dangerous. Go after him with caution. Make some noise. Get people to him. The barrier has been ruined.  I’m guessing most  shinobi can sense  Fujin by now,”  Naegi stated. He looked at  Saku , the determination in his eyes clear as day.

“I can’t,”  Saku said. “I won’t leave you alone,” she added firmly.

“I’m not alone,”  Naegi said. “ Fujin’s still in there, I just have to reach him,” he said with a grin.  Golden chains shot out of his back, moving much faster than  Saku had ever seen them gone before.  They wrapped around  Fujin with such accuracy that it didn’t surprise  Saku why it was this exact scenario that these golden chains had become famous.

“Go!”  Naegi shouted.

Saku sprinted past  Fujin , taking in his enraged look once more. His eyes followed her movement, and it was hard to turn away from. She shook her head.  Danzo would pay for this. He would not live to see another day. 

There was a long hallway in front of her. It didn’t have any actual light, but Saku didn’t need that to see. And even with her vision somewhat limited, she could still hear the tapping of  Danzo’s dumb  cane. 

-

Naegi had always considered his chains as something that couldn’t become any stronger. His mother had mentioned some times that he could do with more practice with it, but he had never actually understood why.

Well, having a  jinchuuriki crush his chains with a swing of a tail was something of a wake-up call.

Of course Naei had known that jinchuurikis were incredibly strong, the entire island of Uzu was a testament to that. However, it wasn’t something you’d actually understand until you experienced it.

Fujin rushed towards him, his face contorted in rage. A clawed hand slashed towards  Naegi , and while he managed to doge away, the bubbling chakra hit him straight across the face. It burned against him like acid. He could feel the skin on his face grow back almost as quickly as it went away. What was this chakra even made of?

Fujin attacked again, and  Naegi jumped away as swiftly as he could. He had to do something that would stop Fujin’s rampage. If he couldn’t restrain him then his only other option was to fight him. And that would be an actual fight. Not a friendly spar or anything like that. His mind flickered to the time  Sumire and Nue had controlled him, when he and Saku had fought. Saku had luckily only gotten away with a temporary broken arm. Both he and Fujin could heal but... there was something very different  with fighting with the intention of actually hurting the other. He didn’t understand how Saku had done it.

Fujin jumped back, his tails arching above him as a mix of blue and red chakra began to gather into an orb.  Naegi’s eyes widened slightly as the orb turned into a purple so deep it looked almost black.

He saw Fujin’s skin begin to flake off like it was paper, the blood mixing in with the chakra. He shuddered. He had to end this quick. He unleashed as much of his golden chakra as he could, creating a shield in front of him. It would be the strongest shield he’d even made, and he could only hope it would be enough against whatever it was that Fujin was creating. 

The orb suddenly shot forwards, despite its relatively large size,  it’s speed was something  Naegi could never have anticipated. It crashed against  Naegi’s shield, immediately denting it.  Naegi briefly wondered if he’d managed to stop it. And then it exploded.  Naegi felt his chakra being chipped away immediately. 

And then all he could see was white. 

\--

Saku caught up to  Danzo miles outside of Konoha. How he moved so quickly Saku could probably never understand.  She had just left the many tunnels that  Danzo’s hideout was in. She was standing in front of a bridge,  Danzo on the middle of it. The moon was shining brightly, being the only source of light in an otherwise  pitch-black night. 

No matter. Saku’s vision was as clear as day again. And now she saw something that absolutely terrified her.

Danzo’s right eye had a different chakra type than the rest of him. And his right arm was still shrouded away from her  byakugan . Probably by some seal. But the real question was; why was he hiding it? What was he even hiding? 

“ Danzo !” Saku roared, her voice nearly cracking under the force. 

Danzo turned to look at her. He still had that ugly frown on his face. Saku  shot forwards, readying her palms for hitting  Danzo as many  time s as she possibly could. She would not let him get away from this bridge.

Danzo ran through a series of hand signs. “Wind style: Vac uum Blast!” 

At first Saku thought she’d just toughened through . She lifted her hands in front of her face, shielding her eyes . Fujin’s wind style was blunt force. However, when the  jutsu hit her she noticed quite quickly that it was not the case. The wind slashed against her skin, giving her a series of minor cuts. There was a slightly larger gash across her shoulder. Saku winced. That would make it hard to move.

Using fire  jutsu was a sure way to get burned to a crisp.  Danzo might be old as heck, but his wind style was a force to be reckoned with. Sa ku shook her head. She would defeat him.

“You’re wrong to fight me,”  Danzo said. “I’m the one who’s been keeping you safe for all these years.” He smiled, making Saku feel sick.

“You’re wrong,” She growled. “Fujin is the one who kept us safe,” 

“Fujin? He’s been working for me for years. Even for  Orochimaru after coming back to the village. You should know that the boy would always be loyal to him,”  Danzo stated. “He betrayed you. He betrayed Konoha.  He’s on the path of redemption working for me, for a bright future for Konoha! For the betterment on the village!” 

“Fujin can do that plenty on his own!” Saku shouted. She used the substitution technique with  Danzo’s cane, slamming his hand upwards. 

She could do plenty damge up close.

“Fire style: Great Fireball!” She roared. The fire immediately caught  Danzo , burning through the sleeve on his arm before it quickly blackened from the heat. He jumped away from Saku. He didn’t scream, but he certainly looked like he was in pain. 

Then he disappeared.

Saku’s eyes widened. Genjutsu? That was impossible. She could see through basically any  genjutsu . If it had been one, it would have to be majorly powerful. She wasn’t sure if that kind of technique even existed. 

Danzo reappeared a few meters away from where Saku had been certain he’d died. His sleeve was still torn away , along with some bandages he’d kept underneath. There had been something protecting Saku’s vision from looking at it before, but it was gone now. She noticed a glimmer of something in the corner of her vision, seeing some large metal clasp-like contraptions left behind by the sid e of the bridge. 

Saku stiffened as  Danzo began to slowly take off the remaining bandages. She could see multiple chakra signatures from his arm, but that wasn’t the bad thing. His arm was miscoloured compared to the rest of him, and the skin wrinkled slightly as it held  _ them  _ in place.

Several  sharingan . Imbedded directly into his arm.  Danzo ripped away the bandages that covered his head, revealing the final signature that Saku had seen, and it was yet another  sharingan . She saw that one eye was closed on his arm, but there were  still nine that remained open. 

“What the fuck have you done?” Saku asked. Her voice wavered slightly. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. What kind of sick bastard would do this?

“Isn’t it magificent? You should be honored, Nara Saku. You’ll be the first and last person to see these eyes, and your own will be a magnificent addition to my collection,” Danzo said. Saku glared at him.

“You’re not getting of this bridge,” Saku said darkly. 

“And you’ll be the one to stop me? Some runt who couldn’t even protect her teammate from Orochimaru again? Living her happy life with her friends in the academy, unknowing that her so-called friend suffered every day?” Danzo chuckled. “ Fujin tried to fight back, you know? He tried to trick me. He disobeyed me as much as he could. What did he get in return? Broken bones. I told him that if he so much as said a word, it would be goodbye for your happy life. Goodbye to your families. Your young sibling,”  Danzo said. “ He’d make a fine addition to Orochimaru’s experiments, don’t you think?”

Saku roared in reply, attacking  Danzo with a flurry of attacks.  Danzo dodged away with ease. His  sharingan could predict as much, if maybe not more than what Saku could. She felt the desperation grow within her. She had to be stronger. Faster.  _ Better. _

_ “ _ Wind style: Vacuum Bullets!”  Danzo’s voice roared. Saku was pushed away harshly and for a brief moment she thought she heard a cru n ch of something. She almost flew right off the bridge, but she swiftly grabbed a kunai and ninja wire, flinging it into t he bridge as she fell. The momentum let her swing upwards again on the other side. 

“ Fire Style:  Fire Dragon Bomb!” Saku roared. She sped after the fire as she landed, being shielded by the flames from view. Her chakra should be covered as well, making Danzo unable to predict her. Saku retrieved a scroll from her pouch. She would need this if she wanted to defeat him.

“Stage one!” She shouted. She felt her senses increase. The roar of the fire became so much louder. But she was stronger. And that was what mattered.  She sped through the flames, feeling it burn against her skin. She saw  Danzo begin to do some hand signs. She flipped a kunai into her hand from her pouch. She jumped up from underneath him, slashing against his jugular . Then he disappeared again. Saku wanted to scream, but she decided against it. 

A new wave of cutting winds came towards her. Saku swiftly created an earth wall, but to no avail. The rubble of her now crushed wall came raining down above her. She jumped away.  She considered briefly using the  headhunter jutsu with a minor  genjutsu hiding her from view, but quickly caught herself.  Danzo could see through any  genjutsu anyway, and she doubted he’d let himself get caught off guard by an underground attack. 

Saku ran towards  Danzo , and he seemed momentarily surprised by her new speed. She sent forwards a rain of  shuriken, covered in dense lightning chakra. 

Danzo deflected them with a pure manipulation of wind, knocking some of them back towards Saku. She deflected them with her kunai , still on her warpath towards Danzo.

He wasn’t able to jump away before Saku was in his space. He was about to run through hand signs when Saku s wiftly kicked his hands up. She charged chakra to her hands, jabbing at the points closest to her. His  sharingan seemed to struggle to keep up. He was old. Much slower than what he would be at his prime. Saku wouldn’t have stood a chance if  it hadn’t been at his last years.

Danzo lifted his right arm, and suddenly massive branched sprouted from it. Saku was pushed back , close to being trapped in between the branches. She  spun around, a bastardized version of the Eight Trigrams: Palm Rotation coming into view. She hadn’t been able to master the technique, but it did its purpose. The slight delay in the branches coming after her allowed her to jump away. 

Saku noted that there was a face on  Danzo’s shoulder. She couldn’t recognize said face, but it was very clear that this arm was by no means natural. 

“Give it up!”  Danzo roared. “I’m  only doing what’s for the good of Konoha. I’m what’s good for Konoha!” 

“You’re a man who should’ve been six feet under a lifetime ago!” Saku shouted back. “You ruined everything! And those sharingan? Did you  rob the Uchiha’s clan’s grave for them? Pluck them straight out of their eyes? That arm? Experimentation? It reeks of  Orochimaru works, and you’ve already admitted to having contact with him! You’re a  _ traitor! _ ” 

“I have always done everything for the betterment of the village! When  Hiruzen was too weak to continue as  Hokage ! When that  _ Uchiha  _ Obito took the mantle instead, continuing on with  Hiruzen’s idiotic ideals! It was that ideal that led that Nine tails get out of the village and go to that island and make his own silly land! It’s what caused us to enter that war against Madara! If  Hiruzen had taken my advice and turned  Namikaze Ryuusuke to the tool he was supposed to be, allowed my ROOT to be the true force of the village, K onoha would have been the strongest village a long time ago!”  Danzo roared. “And he let that  Namikaze Minato become the Fourth  Hokage . Another  weak willed man.  I’m glad he sealed the  kyuubi into his son, but the Third’s wish to hide it was dumb at best. I’m glad I told the villagers. The hatred that drove  Ryuusuke as a child was what let him  control the  kyuubi as he entered the  chuunin exam! He proved that his isolation was his source of strength! If only he’d had better control of it! If he’d been trained for it like I wanted!” 

“You talk too much!” Saku roared. She appeared by his side again, faster than she had ever moved before. She punched upwards, knocking  Danzo’s jaw up. Danzo kicked her away quickly afterwards. But it was worth it.

Danzo was clearly a man who liked to monologue. Then again, if Saku had been doing some large conspiracy for the majority of her life with no one to brag too, she too would probably  spill everything she’d ever done to a child who she was attempting to murder. Even though the situation was kind of weird.

“And you three!”  Danzo shouted. “The very pinnacle of my achievements!”

Saku froze. She stared at Danzo. Memories flashing across her mind. The kidnapping. The torture. The expirmentation. Arima. Fujin. Naegi. The Pit. The Coliseum. The years that they had lost.

“That was  **_ You _ ** ?!”

Rage roared to life within her. Whatever she had felt before was muted by the pure inferno of hatred that grew within her. 

Danzo went up in black flames, screaming as he disappeared from view again. He  reappeared a few meters away again, his eyes wide in shock. 

Saku felt blood run down from her eyes. She sped forwards again, a rain of fire bullets appearing by her side as she shot them at  Danzo . He didn’t have time to react again, once again doing that fucking disappearing act. Saku noted that the eyes open had gone from his previous nine to six. 

Ah.  So, she had to kill him six more times.

What kind of technique it was Saku didn’t  know. She didn’t care. She understood what she had to do.  Danzo seemed increasingly worn down. A new barrage of branches erupted from his right arm. Saku jumped towards his left side. It didn’t seem like he could use the wood style on that arm, and he couldn’t move as well when his right side was this occupied. 

Saku threw a kunai harshly through  Danzo’s neck. And then he disappeared again. Damn that was annoying.

Danzo created a barrage of wooden spears flying towards her. Saku glided through them like they were n’t moving at all. She felt a  build-up within her. 

A black skeleton like arm came around her, slamming through  Danzo as she got within his space again.  Danzo flew into the tree he himself had created. 

“Lightning Style: Thunderclap arrow!”  Saku roared. An arrow of electricity shot through  Danzo . Five more. She waited until he reappeared again, a sudden sharp gust of wind slamming into her. She felt her side being hit harshly , sending her flying backwards. 

She looked up, blood running down her face as she stared at  Danzo , who looked pretty exhausted already. He would lose.

\--

Naegi opened his eyes. The room he and Fujin had fought in had almost entirely been reduced to rubble. There was a gaping hole in the roof, the moon shining brightly above them.  Naegi panted. There was barely enough left of his  shield that had protected him from the blast, the area behind him the only thing that remained untouched from whatever the fuck it was that Fujin had sent at him. 

Naegi created several golden projectiles, sending them at Fujin. Fujin swatted them away with a tail, growling darkly.  Naegi was struggling to see him properly. He looked so... unlike Fujin. He’d seen these eyes before, and even with everything else having remained the same, it was like looking at a difference person.

Why wasn’t he strong enough to contain him? Why was Fujin so deep in his rage? Whatever  Danzo had done, it had done something horrible.  Naegi felt a small idea spark in his head. He’d never really trained enough with this technique, but what was the worst that could happen?

Fujin roared, charging forwards again.  Naegi tried to take a step back, but his feet failed him. He fell to his knees, panting hard. He  stared into Fujin’s eyes. There had to be a way to reach him. 

Naegi wobbled to his feet, opening his arms as Fujin came crashing into him. He held on tightly, the burning chakra sizzling against his skin. Fujin slashed against him, and  Naegi felt something stab into his back. But he didn’t falter.

“ NInja Art: Mind Transfer Jutsu!”

-

“Chill out you stupid dumb fox!”

Naegi snapped his eyes opened. Fujin’s voice ringing clear in his head. He  was in a way too familiar hallway. That same swirly pattern. The chipped walls. The dim lighting.

It looked exactly like  Orochimaru’s hideout. 

Naegi followed the sound of Fujin’s voice, but the hallway seemed endless. The more he walked, the further away everything seemed.  Naegi knew that there was a theory beh ind the way the mind space looked and how the person’s life had been.  Naegi wasn’t that surprised to find it like this to be honest. But he’d hoped that there was perhaps some change. Maybe some slight differences. A window, perhaps. 

It made him wonder how much Fujin actually thought about their time with Orochimaru. How much he was holding on to it.

Eventually,  Naegi left the endless hallway, coming into a large  room. It was just a room, really. There was nothing specific about its details. You would stand in ankle deep water if you weren’t floating above it.  Further in the room, that water became the same bubbling chakra that covered Fujin.

In the centre of the room stood Fujin. He was chained down, forced into the bubbling chakra . He could barely force himself above it sometimes, which he spent to yell at the the nine-tails.

It was so much larger than Naegi anticipated.

Of course, he knew that tailed beasts were large. He knew that they had been creatures of destruction and deep hatred. But just as he knew that Fujin was a  jinchuuriki , and the risk of losing control was great, it was not something you could prepare yourself against.

The  kyuubi was within the jaws of a stone dragon. How  Orochimaru had thought it would stop the  kyuubi from getting out was beyond  Naegi , because  the  kyuubi could force his head through the teeth, and the tails could peek out here and there. It barely contained the  kyuubi at all. Mostly just stopping it from escaping, but letting all of its energy out. 

“Fujin!” Naegi shouted. Fujin barely managed to turn around.

“How did you get in here?!” Fujin asked. 

“Did some weird Yamanaka technique,”  Naegi answered, running over to Fujin and crouching by his side. “Is this normal?” He asked. Fujin tried to shrug.

“It’s the first time I’ve been in here physically. Mentally? Anyways, I saw glimpses of it when I just got the  kyuubi sealed within me, and then the dragon’s jaw was such completely. I think this is part of  Orochimaru’s seal mechanism,” Fujin said.

“Did you spend all this time analysing the seal?”  Naegi asked, slightly exasperated. Fujin struggled  futilely against his chains.

“Didn’t have anything else to do but yell,” Fujin huffed.

“Fair point,”  Naegi said. “So? What can I do? It's clearly not you who’s lost his mind here,” 

Fujin grumbled something inaudible. “ Whatever  Danzo did sent me down with these chains and opened the jaws slightly, I think. The  kyuubi is attempting to break free. He’s slowly been making progress,” Fujin said. “He barely lifted it an inch a little time ago, something  happen outside? What’s going on?” Fujin asked. 

“Well, I’m fighting you alone. You blew up the hideout. I’m fine though,”  Naegi said. “Though your skin is burning off,”

“Nice,” Fujin said dryly. “My dad taught me about the rage stages after my first episode. I should’ve briefed you on this before. When my skin flakes more of, I’ll enter the Fourth Tail stage. It’s... much more dangerous than before. At this point I’m still conscious, but I think if I’m drowned further in this chakra it’s going to be harder to contain  the destruction,”

“This is contained?”

“Shut up,”

Naegi hummed, looking up. “I can... I can try to use the chains in its purest form,” he suggested. 

“You haven’t tried already?” He asked.  Naegi huffed. “I tried using it to restrain you, but I’m using it the same way when I create my weapons,” he explained. “The chains are originally a sealing technique, it’s  uhh ... I use it in a way where I manipulate the golden chakra alone, as it’s very accessible to me. However, I don’t do the sealing part,”  Naegi said. “So, I’ll use the adamantine sealing chains, from here inside you,” 

“That’s possible?” Fujin asked. Naegi shrugged. 

“We’ll try, but I won’t be able to leave your mind space. Right now, I’m barely stopping your actual body from ripping me to pieces,”  Naegi said. “If I use the chains, I’ll restrict you completely, hopefully. But if I lose my focus here, it will still take some time for me to regain consciousness,  but that’s regardless, really,”

“What you’re saying...” Fujin trailed off. “If you lose focus now, you’ll be killed,” 

Naegi knew that Fujin wanted to say ‘by me’. But perhaps he didn’t dare to.

“Yeah,”  Naegi said. Fujin didn’t reply at first.

“Your chains, they’ll buy you time?” He asked. 

“Yes,” 

“It’s our only choice then,” Fujin stated.  Naegi nodded. He sat down in front of Fujin, so that they could both look clearly at each other.

“This isn’t the end,”  Naegi said.

Golden chains shot into the ground behind him from his back. Then, several long chains went around the dragon jaw slamming it shut.  Naegi closed his eyes in concentration, but a smirk was visible.

“I can do this,” 

\--

Saku fell to the ground, panting hard. On the other side of the nearly ruined bridge was  Danzo . It wouldn’t take much before the entire bridge collapsed beneath them. Saku  wasn’t sure anymore if any of the wounds she had were clean. Blood and dirt caked around her finger tips, making them feel crusty and generally horrible.  The gashes on her side and her arm was still bleeding, and she knew that she wouldn’t hold much longer. Her shoulder, which had taken her some time to no tice from back when she’d heard that crunch, had actually been just that, crunched. She was pretty sure she’d shattered something, and then made it a billion times worse when she’d continued to fight and take more hits.  It was probably infected. 

She forced herself up again, she wobbled slightly, and knew that at this point, a breeze could probably shift her balance.  Danzo was stuck to a large tree he’d attempted to catch her in. He wasn’t  much better off in terms of exhaustion though. His old age had crippled him far more than Saku could have hoped. There was one remaining eye open. The one in right socket. 

“I... don’t understand,”  Danzo wheezed. “Why doesn’t the kotoamatsukami work on you?”

Saku frowned. “The what now?”

“The ultimate Uchiha  genjutsu , planting ideas in a person’s head that makes it seem like it was their own. It  should be able to control anyone!”  Danzo shouted. 

“There is no idea in my head than to make sure you don’t make it off this bridge alive!” Saku retorted. “That  battle occupies the mind much more than the silly extra ideas. I have one goal, and that is your death!” Saku took a step forward. And then another. 

Danzo glared. He grabbed his arm, ripping it off to free himself of his restraints. He staggered  backwards, his o ld bones too weak to continue in close quarter  fighting . 

“I...” Saku said. “Haven’t really  been able to practice this technique, but I did steal it from the library,” she grinned. She went through a series of hand signs.

“Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!”

A large dragon appeared from Saku’s mouth, before it split into three. One going right, the other left and the last one straight forward. The right dragon coiled around  Danzo , the other wildly going at the tree. Saku swore mentally. She lost control of one. The last dragon crashed into the ground, melting through the stone.

“You didn’t even hit me,”  Danzo shouted above the roaring fire. Saku coughed, the exhaustion sending her to her knees.

“I didn’t have to,” she said.

The bridge crumbled beneath  Danzo , and soon, it fell down into the ravine below. The bridge continued to collapse, slowly but surely crumbling away. Saku watched as the edge grew closer and closer to her. She tried to get up, but her feet failed her. 

Then she was falling. She fell like she was part of the rubble, soon to be crushed  agains t the bottom of the ravine.

“Saku!” A familiar voice roared. A body suddenly crashed into her own, holding her tightly. Saku opened her eyes, seeing Arima extending a large branch of wood from the ravine wall, making them swing into it.  Arima made sure that there was branched there to take some of the crash off him, but he angled himself in the way that Saku didn’t even hit it.

“Arima...” Saku mumbled. “We need to help Naegi and Fujin,” she wheezed.

“You need a hospital. I’ve already told as many as I could. Half of the active force is going into the hideout I think,” A rima said. He pulled them upwards, creating a branch at the top that would let him walk up the ledge rather than climb it. (That wouldn’t have been possible with Saku in his arms.) “I made note a long time ago where some of  Danzo’s tunnels where. When I entered  them I didn’t get anywhere, so I didn’t think that they were connected to his hideout. This one is the one furthest away from Konoha though, so I figured he’d try to escape through here,” Arima explained as he shifted Saku over to his back. “I’m glad I made it in time,”

“Saku!” A chorus of voices sounded. Saku looked up from Arima’s shoulder. From the treetops came her mother, Kakashi and a  large number of ANBU forces. 

“ Danzo’s dead,” Saku said hoarsely. “His body should be at the bottom of this ravine,” 

Eon took Saku from Arima, and though he was a bit reluctant, he knew he had no right to deny Eon that right. 

Kakashi pulled out a kunai, throwing it to the ground. Almost immediately, Minato appeared. 

“Take them to the hospital,” Kakashi said, pointing to Eon and Saku. Minato nodded walking over to them. Saku smiled wearily at him. She released the Stage One, and the world went black.

\--

It had been many years since Yuki had seen large scale combat. Yes, she was a  jonin sensei and occasionally they’d run into a missing  nin or someone of higher  calibre . But nothing in the way like this.

A training ground near the centre of Konoha had been the unfortunate victim of a sink hole. It wasn’t much a single hole as it had been an explosion.  Jonin had quickly been mobilized, and with Hinata at her side, Yuki didn’t need the  byakugan to  understand what was going on. 

The feeling of the  kyuubi chakra was unmistakable. She would never be able to forget meeting that force head on. She knew that something had to be wrong with Fujin.

And then Hinata had said that  Naegi was there too. On their way there,  Obito had joined them with his own ANBU platoon. He explained how Arima had sent a wood clone to his office, explaining how Saku and Naegi had suddenly decided that they would attack Danzo.

Danzo.

Yuki felt anger. It wasn’t often that happened, but this was a special circumstance. 

They arrived at what Yuki presumed was  Danzo’s hideout. Or at least a part of it. She could see how the tunnels went in many different directions. Who knew how far they went?

In the centre of the room stood  Naegi . He was sitting on his knees, his back straight but his head rolled back. The golden chains that shot into the ground behind him and reappeared some distance in front of him were all too familiar, but it had been some time she’d seen them in the form that they were me ant to be in. And the purpose it was for . In front of  Naegi , just a  couplel of meters away, was a struggling Fujin. The red bubbling chakra that covered him sizzled against his skin, but seemed to be somewhat dormant. It was t he same chakra Yuki had seen  Ryuusuke attempt to  control. It had been so many years, and it was still a terrifying power to not understand.  They couldn’t have been like this for more than a minute, and  Naegi already looked exhausted. Kousuke appeared next to her, visibly alarmed.

“He’s using the mind transfer,” Kousuke said. “That must be why the chains are working so well. He’s restricting the  kyuubi from inside Fujin,” 

“It won’t last for long,” Yuki said. She knew that there was only one person who’d be able to reseal it. She also knew that even  Ryuusuke wasn’t entirely sure how Fujin’s seal worked, but they had to do their best anyway. She retrieved a kunai, channeling her chakra to it. 

A brief moment later,  Ryuusuke appeared. It had been some time since he’d been in Konoha now. Yuki had missed him. He should come visit more often.

Ryuusuke seemed confused at first, but one glance at the situation and he quickly went to work. He jumped down from the ledge they were standing on, rushing towards Fujin. Yuki followed him quickly.

“You could at least say hello,” Yuki chuckled. She had absolute fate in him being able to help their kids after all. The danger was over.

“Hi Yuki, I’ve missed you a lot. I didn’t think we’d see each other before next week though. You’re bringing your students early as well?”  Ryu usuke asked. The moment he came in contact with Fujin’s chakra, his own  kyuubi chakra flared to life around him. Not the golden one Yuki had become accustomed to, but the red chakra. It was an unusual sight. 

“I am,” Yuki said. She went over to Naegi, checking him for wounds as she began healing him. There were some more concerning ones. It looked like he had decided to give Fujin a hug. Who would be so reckless and do that? She supposed her son.

Almost as quickly as she had noticed the situation,  Ryuusuke managed to seal away the  Kyuubi . Fujin’s low growls disappeared and he went limp with exhaustion in Fujin’s arms.  Naegi then woke up, the chains disappeared with a small shatter.  He slumped against Yuki’s chest.

“Ma?” He asked weakly. Yuki hugged him tightly. 

“It’s okay, everything’s fine,” Yuki said. “It’s over,” 

“Saku...”  Naegi took a deep ragged breath. “She went after Danzo,” 

“Kakashi and Eon have gone to her,”  Obito answered as he landed next to them. “Good to see you too, Ryuusuke,”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,”  Ryuusuke chuckled. “I would prefer to bring him home,”  Ryuusuke started, brushing the hair away from Fujin’s face. “But I know that he will want to see Saku and  Naegi when he wakes up. I’ll stay here and watch over him and his seal tonight, and maybe a little bit more,”  Ryuusuke said.  Obito nodded.  Ryuusuke went over to Yuki, Fujin held carefully in his arms. He nodded at her, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

They disappeared in a flash, and soon reappeared at the hospital.  Shizune was the first one to notice them.

“Saku’s in surgery,” she said. Yuki paled, looking at  Ryuusuke who looked equally stricken.

“ Naegi’s too weak to heal her,” Yuki said. She knew normally her son would be the first one to go. 

“Their pouches!” A new voice said.  Ryuusuke and Yuki both turned around at the same time, seeing Sasaki Kenji come running up to them.

“Saku went into Stage One, but they all keep vials of  Naegi blood ready in these situations. We already used Saku’s, but she’s lost way too much blood. We need more,” Kenji said. Yuki and  Ryuusuke both began to search through the boys’ pouches, soon enough finding a heavily protected vial in each of the m. They handed them to Kenji, who ran back towards the operation hall.

“I’ve never seen Kenji so worked up before,”  Ryuusuke said. “I can see that he has grown to care for his students a lot already.” Yuki couldn’t do anything else but nod. 

“Let’s get  Naegi and  Fuujin into a room as well,”  Shizune said. Yuki began to follow her into a nearby room, and quickly began to work on healing  Naegi properly again. She had done the most major things already, but there was no harm in doing the rest.  Shizune did a  check up on Fujin, but assured Ryuusuke that he was fine. 

“You worry too much,” Yuki said. She sat down in a nearby chair once she was satisfied with her result. Ryuusuke chuckled.

“I can’t help it,” he said. He went to sit down next to her. Yuki rested her head on  Ryuusuke’s shoulder and grabbed his hand. 

“Kousuke will be coming soon,” Yuki mumbled. 

“He better,”  Ryuusuke chuckled. “Or else I’ll have to do the big brother talk again,”

Yuki laughed softly. It was amazing how they could keep a light-hearted conversation in a situation like this. “The big cousin talk,” she said. 

“I don’t think we should argue whether or not our team has close family relations or not,” Ryuusuke stated.

“You married Sakura, it doesn’t get much closer than that,” Yuki agreed.  Ryuusuke laughed in response. Yuki noticed that he kept his eyes on Fujin, as if he was expecting something to go wrong at any moment.

“He’s going to be fine,” Yuki said. “You got through this all on your own, but he has so many around him. No way he’s going to suffer like this again.” Ryuusuke squeezed her hand tightly.

“I wasn’t alone,” he said. “Even though I thought so for some time. But even you didn’t give up on me, even though you had all the reason to do so,” 

“Anytime,  Ryuu ,” Yuki said softly. 

“I sure hope it won’t happen again,” a very familiar voice said as the door opened. Eon was in the doorway, her grey hoodie still covered in blood. 

“How is she?”  Ryuusuke asked before Yuki could. Though she immediately stood up, went over to Eon and hugged her rightly.

“She’s stable,” Eon said. “You guys arrived just in time,”

“We should’ve come over,”  Ryuusuke mumbled. Eon shook her head. She gently let Yuki out of her hug, making them all sit down again. 

“You had your own kids to look after,” Eon said. “Besides, Saku is strong. She wouldn’t need your paranoia hanging over her,” she said, elbowing Ryuusuke in the side.

“Ha  ha ,”  Ryuusuke said dryly.

“How are they?” Eon asked, looking at Fujin and Naegi.

“Fujin’s just exhausted and suffering from the  kyuubi chakra,”  Ryuusuke said. “He’ll be out for some time,”

“ Naegi’s chakra is exhausted to the brink. He had some pretty deep wounds, but I’ve healed them all already,” Yuki said. “Should I go put the sun seal on Saku?” She asked. The sun seal, as they had so happily dubbed it rather than go finding a technical term, was the power Yuki had gotten from the Sage of the Sixth Paths that could immediately stabilize a pers on. Which incidentally saved  Ryuusuke’s life. 

“She’s fine.  Tsunade is keeping tight watch on her. She might even call in Saku if necessary,”

“And even with all of Sakura’s  responsibilties , I know she’d drop everything for her master’s call. Not that she wouldn’t come if it had been anyone else  when the patient is Saku,”  Ryuusuke said.

“I don’t think  Naegi should try to heal anyone when he wakes up,” Eon said. Yuki and  Ryuusuke both nodded in agreeement. 

“We’ll just have to let Saku and Fujin recover on their own this time,” Yuki said.

“They’re going to complain so much,”  Ryuusuke said. His voice almost sounded annoyed, but he was smiling. 

“They will,” Yuki and Eon said in unison. 

After a little while which the three spent in comfortable silence, more people entered the room. Kousuke,  Yachi ,  Obito and Kakashi, to be specific. 

“ So. ..”  Obito said. “Saku killed Danzo,” 

“Damn,”  Ryuusuke whispered. 

“We won’t know anything else before they wake up,” Eon stated. “We should wait with the theories until then,” 

“Yeah. I’m keeping it all under wraps. Saku’s side of things isn’t our biggest problem actually,”  Obito said. “ Basically anyone above your age remembers the  k yuubi attack,”  Obito stated. “They all felt Fujin’s rage. They’re going to be people who’ll question it. What do you want us to do?” Obito asked Ryuusuke. 

“Keep it silent for some time. It’s Fujin’s decision in the end. The  civlians never got to see the good of me being the  jinchuuri ki of the  kyuubi because I went to  Uzu . They might have some respect for me and the rest of the  jinchuurikis because we’re in another nation, but there’s no predicting how they’ll react to Fujin who has lost control,”  Ryuusuke mumbled. 

The room remained still for a second. 

“We’ll see,”  Obito said. “We could also just reveal it on international television when Fujin and the others will be on the  chuunin exam final,” he said. “ He’ll be leaving in a couple of days anyway, it’s not like they can hunt him down,”

“Fair point,” Ryuusuke chuckled.

Yuki watched as the two began a more  kage like talk. It didn’t really interest Yuki all that much. She was getting too tired anyway. It was in the middle of the night after all. They all needed rest. She also had to go to her  students tomorrow morning for a final C-rank before they would leave for  Uzu .

She remembered her own  chuunin exam. It had been a terrifying event. The mortality rate now had been reduced as m uch as they could, because all the nations agreed that killing  genin was a waste of resources and potential talent. The  chuunin exams of  Ao and the twins had gone without a hitch. The  chuunin exam for Riko, Shizuaki and  Akahiko ... well, that left a scar. 

She was a bit anxious. There was a dread settling into her. She grabbed on to Eon and  Ryuusuke’s hand, holding them tightly. Eon gave her a soft smile, while  Ryuusuke grinned widely. She nodded. They would be fine.


	22. It's a vacation!

Saku may or may not have snuck out onto the top of the train after they went through the barrier (bad flashbacks) pretending that she was going to the bathroom. She stood at the front, watching the island of Uzu getting closer and closer. The island was basically glowing. The sun shone so brightly and it sparkled off the sea. The centre of Uzu, being dominantly modern buildings that towered above most of the other houses basically blinded her. The houses that people lived in with their white walls and red tiled roofs gave the city an additional light up Saku was sure that it didn’t need. Uzu looked like, within all definitions, an island paradise. 

While Uzu was essentially one island, or at least it was the island that was inhabited, there were several smaller ones surrounding it, which had later been utilized for more things. Like for example, the seal connected Uzu and Konoha was on one of the smaller islands, and the closest one. And despite Uzu having enough islands to make many funny things, Ryuusuke had decided to build Uzu’s arena on the sea. 

Saku was only a little too much excited. 

“I figured we’d find you here,” Fujin’s voice rang out above the wind. Saku turned, finding Fujin and Naegi both climbing up the side of the train. 

“Had to watch as we arrived,” Saku said with a grin. “The view is so much better up here,” 

Naegi sat down next to her, dangling his feet on the front of it. (Though just out of view so that they couldn’t be seen. They didn’t want to get in trouble.) “Can’t argue with that,” Naegi said. 

“Don’t get too comfortable now,” Fujin said. “Kenji-sensei is gonna know we’ve been gone for too long sooner rather than later,” he stated. Though his eyes were also fixed on Uzu, and Saku could see the excitement he tried to hide. 

Saku patted the open space next to her. “Just for a little bit,” she said. “When we all become chuunin, we’re technically not going to be Team Seven anymore.” She basically forced Fujin down once he stepped close enough. 

“You know that isn’t true,” Fujin said. “They’re going to probably give us some solo missions, but mostly put us in a squad together with Kenji-sensei and refer to us as ‘Team Kenji’, but we all know that anyone who has ever been a team together still refers to themselves as their first number,” Fujin said. 

“Like our parents,” Naegi supplied. Fujin nodded. 

“And my dad is in another nation, and if that isn’t enough to tear a team apart then what will?” Fujin shrugged. Saku hummed. 

“Isn’t your dad technically a ninja of Konoha too?” She asked. “My mom mentioned once that he’d been late for a family dinner a few years back so Obito had threatened to demote him to genin,” 

“My dad was a chuunin for like half a day before he left Konoha,” Fujin said. “I doubt he’d care,” 

“Still,” Saku said. “It’s pretty funny,” 

“Ryuusuke-sensei’s Konoha registration was officially removed the day you guys graduated.” 

The three genin turned around quickly, seeing Kenji sitting in a meditation pose behind them. 

“When did you-” 

“I followed you two the moment you left. We need to work on your perception,” Kenji said. 

“Why did they first remove it when we graduated?” Naegi asked. 

“Because they wanted to use his technical ‘Konoha-nin status’ as a backup in case Fujin wasn’t allowed to graduate, by the jonin council’s decision,” Kenji explained. “Not that there really was a doubt, but it was a backup,” 

“Sounds fair,” Fujin said. “Aren’t you gonna tell us to get off the roof?” He asked, looking at their teacher curiously. Kenji shrugged. (It was a rare occasion. Saku would have to remember this.) 

“I like sitting on the roof,” he said, offering no further explanation. 

They sat in silence for the remaining minutes, simply enjoying the view before Kenji herded them inside before someone from the station could see them. 

They had most of their luggage sealed away like usual, as they were staying in Uzu for a little bit longer than a month and carrying all of it would’ve been a hassle. 

“We have gotten special quarters for the chuunin exam participants,” Kenji said. “Every great nation has their own island, basically. Not a big one, mind you. There are a few small islands right outside the academy grounds,” he explained. They stepped out of the train. 

“Fuu-nii!” A young voice shouted. Fujin was suddenly tackled by a blur of red, and it was soon clear that his younger sister had latched onto him. 

“Umi! What are you doing here?” Fujin asked. He gave her a small hug while looking around, quickly spotting his mother hurrying towards them. 

“We came to meet you!” Umi grinned. She bounced off him, quickly hugging Saku and Naegi as well. They were essentially older siblings to her in some sense. They weren’t exactly sure how Umi looked at their entire family, she basically referred to everyone who wasn’t an adult as her siblings. 

“Mom,” Fujin greeted with a smile. He hugged his mother tightly. It had been a little bit way too long. Especially after what had happened last week. 

“I still think it’s unfortunate that I can’t steal all of you to stay at the house,” Sakura said softly. “But the chuunin exam rules are quite clear, visiting shinobi should all stay at their assigned island, for the village’s safety,” she said with a slightly annoyed voice. “Ryuusuke is a bit worried about potential foreign shinobi being less friendly to potential less-friendly acquaintances,” 

“Ya mean you’re worried someone wants to beat up the baker because he robbed their house once,” 

“Yeah...” 

“But most people don’t care about that anymore, right?” Saku asked. Sakura shrugged slightly. 

“It’s difficult to say,” she said. “Most people understand that Uzu has given a lot of people a new chance, and all that, we haven’t had an incident in years. But to be fair, that is most likely because we make sure that there is proper security at all times in cases like this,” she said. “While Uzu is a paradise to those who live here, for a lot of other people it’s an island with criminals who got to escape punishment for their crimes,” 

“I suppose that there always has to be a grudge somewhere when you have a great nation,” Naegi mumbled. 

“I hope you’ve been training hard Naegi. If I see you slack off during the exam, we’re going to increase your workload by a lot!” Sakura grinned. Naegi paled slightly. 

“Yes, sensei!” He exclaimed, straightening his back. For a moment it looked like he was about to salute her. (Another memory Saku would have to remember, it was excellent blackmail.) 

Umi climbed up on Fujin’s back, giggling as they began walking towards the academy. They had to go through it to get to the barracks, and Fujin seemed more and more tense to Saku the closer they got. 

“They probably aren’t there,” Saku heard Fujin mumble. “They’ve graduated as well. Why would they be at the academy?” 

They went around the academy rather than through it. (Kenji said that it was lunch time, so the main hall was probably filled to the brim with students.) They soon came to the back of it,where it was just a large open area with several marked training grounds of one form or another. 

“Was this where you trained, Fujin?” Saku asked. Fujin nodded. 

“I didn’t do much with the other students though,” he said. “Used one of the more secluded training grounds so that I wouldn’t hurt anyone,” 

Saku hummed. She watched as a couple of children sparred in one of the fenced arenas. It was a steel grating fence which surrounded it completely, even the top. The students used every surface to their advantage. Saku couldn’t help but to notice how much they bounced from one wall to another. 

“That’s a jumping technique, in a sense,” Fujin said. “It’s an exercise to make you able to control your wall walking to perfection. It’s quite advanced, but not because the technique is hard. It just takes practice with the timing,” he explained. 

Saku stared a little bit longer. She could probably do it. It seemed nice to know when fighting indoors. If she could fight from basically any surface, with her speed... she would be nearly unhittable. 

“FUJIN!” A voice roared. Fujin stiffened. Saku could hear him curse under his breath. 

“I CHALLENGE YOU!” 

There was a blur and a cloud of dust that suddenly disrupted their vision. When the dust cleared, a boy, most likely the same age as them, stood in front of Fujin with a determined grin. 

“Haru,” Fujin greeted. He seemed very tired already. Umi jumped down from Fujin’s back, scurrying over to Sakura. 

“A battle!” Haru shouted. Fujin closed his eyes. He remained silent for maybe ten seconds. Saku had seen him do this a couple of time, one time being the time she almost burned down the dojo. 

“I’m busy. Just arrived by train. Me and my team have to unpack,” Fujin stated. 

“You have no luggage?” Haru asked. He then smirked. “Perhaps you are too afraid to face me? Are you giving up? Are you letting me win this rivalry?” 

“It’s no-” 

“Rivalry?” Naegi asked, grinning widely as he grabbed Fujin’s shoulders. “Fujin, don’t tell me you listened to Gai-sensei's words? Getting yourself an _eternal rival_?” 

“Naegi, I swear to God-” 

“Exactly!” Haru interrupted. “We’ve been fighting against each other ever since he first came to Uzu for training!” 

“Oho?” Saku smiled mischievously. “Fujin, you’re saying you’ve been taking an _academy student_ seriously for all these years?” 

“You guys were also in the academy. Don’t let that-” 

“So, you are saying that you took him seriously?” Naegi shot in. Fujin glared at both of them. 

“As I was trying to say-” 

“Fight me, Fujin! You may have won the last battle, but I will take victory this time!” Haru shouted. 

Fujin turned around, staring hard at Haru. “If you interrupt me one more-” 

Haru swung his fist at Fujin. Fujin side stepped, attempted to grab Haru’s arm when Haru disappeared in a cloud of smoke, a log in his place. Above him, Haru came falling down, a kick in position. Fujin glared at him. He started to ready a wind style technique when a hand of sand grabbed Haru, flinging him to the other side of the training ground. 

“Natsu,” Fujin said. Saku turned around to see another red-head appear. 

“I see you can’t help but to get Fujin in trouble again, Haru,” Natsu said loudly. Haru came running back towards them. 

“I had him this time!” Haru shouted. Fujin and Natsu both sighed. 

“He doesn’t seem to remember that he has never beaten me one single time,” Fujin stated. “Are you guys in a team?” He asked Natsu. Natsu nodded. He seemed almost sad. 

“With a girl named Fuyu,” Natsu said. “She’s at least tolerable. She handles Haru much better than I ever have,” he chuckled. He and Fujin continued to talk while Saku looked over at Naegi curiously. He shrugged as well, clearnly not following much more than herself. 

“Alright,” Kenji clapped his hand. “Fujin, we have to go,” he said. Fujin straightened his back slightly, hurrying back to his teammates side. 

“See ya around, Natsu,” Fujin said. He then looked at Haru. “I’ll assume you’re participating in the exam,” he said. Haru grinned. 

“I’m gonna show you just how awesome I have become!” Haru shouted. Fujin’s face remained mostly motionless. Except for a teeny tiny twitch on the corner of his lips. 

“I can’t believe he has friends here,” Saku said with a joking sadness. 

Naegi chuckled, swiping a fake tear from the corner of his eyes. “They grow up so fast,” 

\-- 

They eventually made it to their assigned island. It had a single training ground, in addition to a relatively large building which most likely held the rooms. 

Upon entering the door, they were quickly met by a couple of Uzu chuunin. 

“We’re the people responsible for the building, my name is Shoto, and this is Tsumako.” Shoto was an average person, at least to Saku. He seemed like the kind of guy who hit average on absolutely every possible statistic. Tsumako, on the other hand, was very clearly strong. Saku could see the muscles through the uniform she was wearing. She probably knew a lot of taijutsu. Maybe Saku could train with her. That would be awesome. 

“There will always be a pair of chuunin posted here for the duration of the exam. In addition, there is a small staff here. You’ll be served food if you so wish, and they do some cleaning. You are free to explore the island if you want, but keep in mind that if you end up causing an incident, you will be told to stay here for the rest of your stay. We in Uzu take the islanders’ security quite seriously, so if you seem to threaten it, we won’t hesitate to ask you to stay put,” Tsumako explained. 

“There are rooms that you have been assigned to. Unfortunately, we don’t have the room to have a single room for each team, so they’ve been divided by gender instead and have some more people in there with you. You weren’t the only Konoha team to arrive today, so don’t worry about being alone,” Shoto added, looking at Saku. 

“Of course, the jonin have single rooms on the second floor,” Tsumako stated. “The rest of you will find your names on the door in the hallway over there,” she pointed towards the right, where Saku could briefly see a door peeking around the corner. 

“If there is anything else, feel free to ask,” Shoto stated. “We’ll be here during the day, while other guards will relieve us for the night in shifts. Remember to be back here before midnight, and you shouldn’t leave again before dawn,” he then paused for a little bit. “I think that was all, please enjoy your stay,” 

“Thank you,” Kenji said. 

Sakura placed a hand on Fujin’s shoulder. “Come by home for dinner, okay? All of you,” she added, looking up at the rest of the team. 

“Will do,” Fujin said. 

Kenji headed towards the stairs, telling them all to unpack and rest up before they got up to any adventures in the city. He’d stay at the Konoha housing until it was time for dinner, probably planning something regarding their training (if they even where to do any) for the rest of the week. 

Saku trailed slightly behind Fujin and Naegi as they both eyes the signs for their names. There was a chance that the two would be separated, but it wasn’t a certainty like it was with Saku. She was only a little bummed out by it, especially now that it wasn’t as if she’d be getting an overly luxurious room like she had at the Fire Lord’s palace. 

“Saku, here’s your room,” Naegi said. He read off the sign. “Nara Saku, Kurama Mizuko and Uchiha Asuka,” He grinned. “You’ve got Arima’s teammates there!” he said. Just as he was about to open the door, it suddenly slammed open. (Luckily it was a sliding door and not one that would’ve slammed Naegi in the face.) Asuka was standing in the doorway, grinning. 

“You’ve made it!” She exclaimed. “Hi guys!” 

“’Suka, you should let them settle down,” Mizuko’s voice came from inside the room. She peeked over Asuka’s shoulder. 

“Hey,” she said with a smile. 

“I didn’t think you guys would be arriving before the exam started,” Fujin said. 

“We weren’t originally, Sakumo-sensei wanted us to get in some last minute training, but then you guys were going early and then Team One also wanted to go early, and then Team Six _Also_ went early, so then we had to too,” Asuka explained. 

“Everyone got here before you, by the way, we all took the early train together,” Mizuko said. 

“Ah!” Saku pouted. “That’s so unfair! Kenji-sensei made us do another set of D-ranks before we left so that we wouldn’t let the other teams ‘beat our records’ as if they’d even get close,” 

“Yeah, you guys were doing so many D-ranks that we ended up having to do a C-rank due to shortage,” Asuka laughed. 

“ _That’s why?”_ Fujin asked loudly. “Arima said that it was because your teacher told you you’d made so good progress!” 

Mizuko and Asuka shared a glance. “Dude, neither of us have even had formal training for longer than a year and a half,” Mizuko stated. Fujin pouted. 

“Anyways,” Asuka grabbed Saku’s shoulder. “She should get packing. This will be the ultimate opportunity for a girls’ night. You boys have fun!” Saku was pulled inside, the door sliding shut behind her. 

“Hana and Hitomi are sharing a room next to us, so they’ll be coming over tonight so that we can have fun. We’re all going out into the city to see how much snacks and whatnot we can find,” Asuka said. “It was their suggestion, not mine, but I’m happy to go along,” 

It wasn’t really a secret that Saku, Asuka and Mizuko were probably less experienced than normal girls their age in the secret arts of ‘girl’s nights’. They had in the past had quite a few sleepovers, but it was always in the company of Fujin and Naegi at least. Saku hadn’t really wanted to go to a sleepover anywhere else, as she was often hit by panic attacks when without Naegi and Fujin. It had begun to chill down a little, but it still happened. At least Mizuko understood why and was a great help in overcoming said panic attacks. 

The room that they had been given wasn’t quite as modest as the building had suggested. Saku wondered briefly if perhaps the Konoha housing was a bit more favourited by Uzu than the rest, or if Uzu just spent a lot of time thinking about how to make things as comfortable as possible for visitors. 

They all had their own beds. It was four of them in the room, even though only three would be occupied. Uzu’s building mostly had open windows, as it was so warm that not allowing the wind in was probably a punishable crime. There was a tv on the wall to Saku’s right, along with a small couch, while on her left was another door. 

“That’s the bathroom,” Asuka said. “It has a shower, but Tsumako suggested that we should go to the Uzu hot spring for a bath if we actually wanted to enjoy ourselves,” 

Saku hummed. A hot spring bath sounded really nice now. She still hurt from her battle with Danzo. She even still had bandages surrounding her torso, which she would probably have to rewrap soon. Sakura would probably not like it if she didn’t take proper care of her wounds. They had healed it quite a lot, but it was still tender and needed support. Sakura would have another look at it a few days before the exam. (Naegi was still not allowed to use his chakra yet, as he got a bit too close to a harsh chakra exhaustion last time, and his system needed the time to recover.) 

Fujin was probably the one who came out the best of all of them. After a couple of days with rest, he was just about fine. Though he did seem troubled about what had happened. They had of course had several talks about it, Fujin had also had multiple talks with his dad and grandfather. It was behind them officially. Though Saku, despite her lack of book smarts, had enough emotional intelligence to know that Fujin wallowed in guilt more than he should. He was good at pretending that he was fine though. 

“Saku?” Mizuko asked. 

Saku looked up, noticing quite quickly that she had spaced out. “Yeah?” 

Mizuko looked at Saku for a second. “You have bags?” She asked. Saku nodded slowly. She withdrew the scroll from her pouch, rolling it out on the floor before she activated it. 

With a puff of smoke three suitcases, two backpacks and a duffel bag appeared. 

“God,” Asuka whispered. “How much did you bring?” She asked. She pointed to her corner, where a backpack and a pretty large suitcase stood. Mizuko had two suitcases, one big and one small 

“Okay so,” Saku started. “The two suitcases have clothes, because I’m really bad at doing the laundry on time so Naegi told me to just bring whatever I wanted as long as it fit within my suitcase. But he didn’t know that I had two suitcases for clothes, so that’s on him. The duffel bag is filled with extra weapons, because I don’t know how many might be needed for the exam. The third suitcase is training clothes, extra sandals, medical equipment, a swimsuit and towels. The backpack has some fun comics, my handheld gaming console that Dad decided to get me for my birthday last time on Fujin’s recommendation, and then my other bag has my laptop which my dad made,” Saku sucked in a deep breath before Asuka placed her hands on both of Saku’s shoulder. 

“Okay. We get it,” Asuka laughed. “You packed a lot. Doesn’t Fujin have half of this stuff on him at all times?” She asked. Saku shrugged. 

“It’s fun to pack,” she said. 

\-- 

Fujin and Naegi shared a room with Arima and Shikao. Shikao’s teammate, Choza, had to share with Tai Lee and Kenzo. However, Fujin was grateful. Shikao was perhaps his closest friend besides Naegi and Saku. 

Arima was... well, he was Arima. More overprotective than he should be. Probably not even so happy that Fujin, Naegi and Saku were even doing the chuunin exam, despite probably being secretly proud about it as well. 

Fujin sat down on his bed, Shikao was next to him with a cup of shaved ice. 

“Where did you get that?” Naegi asked. Shikao popped the spoon out of his mouth. 

“There was a vendor right by the academy,” Shikao said. “We were originally going to go here first before doing any exploring, but Yuki-sensei took us on a little tour first,” 

“It must be fun having Aunt Yuki as your teacher,” Fujin said. “She’s unpredictable, to say the least,” 

“Mom always have a knack of finding fun ways to train you,” Naegi chuckled. “You don’t even know that you’re being trained half the time,” 

“Tell me about it,” Shikao said. He looked very tired all of a sudden. “Yuki-sensei has a completely different attitude towards us Naras than any other. Dad said most teachers end up not pushing us too much because we’re famously lazy, but all Yuki-sensei says when I complain is something along the lines of ‘I will create another monster. It can’t be that hard’. I’m not entirely sure how to feel about it,” Shikao chuckled. 

“That would probably Aunt Eon’s fault,” Naegi said. Fujin nodded in agreement. While Shikao knew Eon relatively well, she felt more like a distant relative more than anything. Between his dad’s job being an advisor to the Hokage, his mom being the Kazekage, Shikao’s side of the family mostly spent time with each other when they had the time, or Shikao went to his mom to Suna. Why Shikao wasn't living there Fujin didn't know. Probably clan politics. Eon herself was also quite busy working with T&I, she had been working on some project a lot the past few years as well. Basically, they were all too busy to have a Nara-get together. Most of them were too lazy to arrange it anyway. 

“She’s probably the only Nara in existence that actually used all of her mind to become the best she could be, and I would not want to be in her interrogation chair,” Fujin chuckled. 

“You can say that again,” Arima said. “I was in that chair,” 

“Wait what?” Fujin asked. 

“Yeah, they wanted to do background checks and stuff, remember? To make sure that I wasn’t all Orochimaru-secret-spy,” Arima said. Shikao looked at them a bit. 

“Orochimaru?” He asked. They stiffened a bit again. 

How come they always did this? 

“I’ll,” Fujin trailed off. “I can handle this one,” he stood up. Naegi eyed him curiously but nodded. Fujin turned to look at Shikao. 

“Come,” Fujin said. “Let’s go for a walk.” 

The two of them went out of the housing, and Fujin steered them down a rather worn-down path on the side of the academy that didn’t lead them to the two, but rather along the remaining beach side. 

“When Uzu was attacked just before the war, the crater which the city now stands in was created,” Fujin said. He pointed towards the mountain like wall that separated the city from the sea. It was now covered in grass and different types of plants. Some trees and rivers even ran along with it. 

“I like going here,” Fujin said. “The harbour side of the island has been moulded later to have more tourist attraction, hence the more attractive beach on that side, but this,” he waved around them, where large stones were scattered along the beach, ragged stones which the waves crashed against. 

“I can almost relate to it,” he said. Shikao stared at him, though his gaze had a softness to it. It was comforting. It encouraged him to continue to talk, but yet didn’t seem pressuring. “You know that Saku and Naegi and I disappeared many years ago, and then just reappeared a couple of years later,” Fujin met his gaze momentarily. Shikao had very deep brown eyes. They looked nearly black. A very common Nara trait. 

“We uh...” Fujin fiddled with his hands. He continued walking, listening to the waves to calm his nerves. Why was he so nervous? They had told Asuka by accident and she hadn’t cared. But she had also seen what Fujin could do. It had saved her. Shikao had only seen him casually. And Fujin knew that behaviour was the easiest to pretend with. It was a very common trick. But Shikao would have been able to see through it, right? Or was this the moment he decided that this big secret was what he was hiding, and now that he knew he would see what Fujin had done and the blood on his hands and- 

“You were trained by Orochimaru,” Shikao said. He placed his hand on Fujin’s shoulder. “No offence but, I’m smart. Smarter than I think you give me credit for. I also know that Saku’s eyes are the product of mutation, because the Hyuuga and the Uchiha did attempt to create a mix of them biologically, the only successful attempt was someone who got the sharingan in one and byakugan in the other, she was, unfortunately, killed as a genin,” Shikao said. “And then there’s the fact that I overheard my dad talking about Orochimaru about the time you reappeared. And well, occasionally you talk in your sleep,” 

“I talk in my sleep?” Fujin asked. He knew that Shikao and the others had slept over, but he had usually gone to bed in his room when that happened. 

“Naegi asked me to check on you at that sleepover we had a little while after graduation,” Shikao rubbed the back of his head. “I uh, noticed that you were having a nightmare of a sorts, so I stayed with you in case you almost hurt yourself. It’s common with Shinobi,” he said as if to defend himself. “And you mentioned Orochimaru, and well, basically, I figured that if you guys didn’t want anyone to know I shouldn’t push it. I also know that Arima and Mizuko are among the subjects,” Shikao was rambling. Fujin turned to look at him, smiling widely. 

“Shikao,” Fujin said, stopping the continuous muttering that came from the Nara. “Thank you, it means a lot,” 

And for once, Fujin figured that maybe trusting other people that weren’t Naegi and Saku was the worst thing he could come up with. 

\-- 

When he and Shikao came back to the housing, Saku and Naegi were both standing outside. Saku had discarded her normal outfit for a cropped pullover hoodie and a shorts, and Naegi had found a more colourful t-shirt and cargo shorts. 

“You’re getting very close to a vacation mood,” Fujin commented. Shikao waved him goodbye, probably wanting to get out of the heat. His laziness and heat didn’t work well together. Last summer, Fujin had watched him lie on the engawa veranda surrounding his house, several ice packs on his body to, and this was a direct quote, ‘Keep his mind fresh’. 

“This is essentially a vacation!” Saku exclaimed. “Even if Kenji-sensei don’t want to admit it, I saw him in a short-sleeved shirt without his jonin vest earlier. That’s his off-duty look,” Saku stated, crossing her arms proudly. 

“So, you have to get changed too,” Naegi said. “It’s unbecoming of a Prince of Uzugakure to show up in his work clothes,” 

“I will cut you.” 

\-- 

Fujin had, surprisingly enough, just one single outfit worthy of being called ‘chill’. It was a short-sleeved hoodie, shorts and, believe it or not, he still kept his weapons pouch on him. 

He was the only one who was armed out of the three of them. 

Hah. 

Naegi let Fujin take the lead. But only because Fujin was the one who knew the city the best. Their first order of business was getting something to eat. And then it was Saku’s run for snacks and stuff to have for her girl’s night. They also went into one of the blacksmiths, because Naegi was low-key considering getting himself a sword. Saku was currently looking into some fancy kunais, while Fujin was standing next to her, seemingly deep in thought. 

“Haku, what do you think of this one?” A rough voice sounded. Naegi turned around, seeing a tall figure stand over a large great sword. 

“Zabuza-sama, why don’t you just recreate the sword you had?” a soft voice asked. A person of roughly the same age as their parents was leaning against a counter nearby. 

“Because, it won’t be the same,” Zabuza huffed. “I got too damned soft, letting that Mizukage boy take the Kubikiribocho because the ‘seven swords of the mist’ should be together. I earned that sword,” Zabuza placed the sword back on the wall. 

Haku shrugged. “Aren’t you getting too old to wave around a sword anyway? Your days as Akahiko’s bodyguard is basically over. He doesn’t need anyone to protect him,” 

“Bah, Akahiko need protection from his own ego,” Fujin’s voice rang out. Naegi stiffened slightly. Even though he logically knew that the people of Uzu were their allies. Especially considering the fact that Fujin was the literal Uzukage’s son, Naegi was also of the main clan of the island. And generally diplomatic incidents were something fresh genin weren’t held too accountable for. Still. Zabuza was a big man. His lower face was bandaged and probably hid something real mean. 

“What was that?” Zabuza nearly growled, he turned around, his eyes glaring daggers before he noticed just exactly who those daggers were about to stab. 

“Fujin,” he said. Did he... almost laugh? 

“Zabuza,” Fujin greeted. He went to Naegi’s side. “I see your hair hasn’t stopped greying,” 

“I see neither you nor Haku’s sarcasm has grown less inappropriate,” Zabuza said. “One day it’s gonna get you killed kid,” 

“It’s been close,” Fujin nodded in agreement. 

“What are you doing here, Fujin?” Haku asked. 

“Naegi’s looking for a sword,” Fujin said. “Other than that, the Chuunin exam is coming up,” 

Zabuza took a good look at Naegi. He then headed into the back before he came back with a covered sword. Or at least Naegi presumed that it was a sword by the shape, but you never knew for certain when it was covered by a thin blanket. 

He uncovered the sword, revealing a white scabbard, a deep blue and golden swirling pattern running along the edges of it. 

“I actually had this forged for Ryuusuke,” Zabuza said. “Though he didn’t want it, said the two he had were more than enough for him,” he handed the sword to Naegi. 

“Now before it looks like I’m stealing, Haku and I run this store, it’s a hobby besides playing babysitter for Akahiko,” Zabuza stated. Fujin chuckled. 

“I didn’t take you for someone with the patience to make swords,” 

“And I didn’t take you for such a chatterbox, now scram,” 

Fujin left to go back and entertain Saku or something. (Not that it was particularly difficult.) 

Naegi carefully unsheathed the sword, taking it the bright steel. It was beautiful craftmanship, and the weight of the blade was basically flawless. 

“It’s awesome,” Naegi said. Zabuza puffed his chest out. 

“I only do awesome,” he said. “Of course, it’s chakra conductive metal. Also, all of its cleaning and maintenance tools have been sealed right here by the hilt,” Zabuza pointed out a little seal right at the centre of the blade right before the hilt began. 

“It requires a good amount of practice though,” Zabuza stated. “So, if you want this, devote yourself to it. Make it a part of your routine. Train hard with it, and don’t do dare let it collect dust on some shelf,” 

“You shouldn’t make fun of the Uzukage like that,” Haku interjected. 

“He knew what he was going into,” 

Zabuza stared Naegi down. “Do you want it?” He asked. Naegi stared at it for the longest time, holding it tenderly. 

“I can’t just take it,” Naegi said. “First of all, I’m doing a lot of training in different areas. Kenji-sensei warned us about getting too settled in a style too early. He has me training with physical weapons too but having one this special it’s... it’s too much,” Naegi slid the sword back in its sheath, handing it out to Zabuza. The man stared at him for a long time. 

“Just take it kid, it’s not doing anything here anyway,” Zabuza said. He shoved the sword into Naegi’s arms before he headed to the back again. 

“Naegi! That looks awesome!” Saku exclaimed. “It looks so much cooler than your glowy swords,” she stated. 

“My chakra swords are awesome,” Naegi crossed his arms and huffed. “And they are way more practical,” 

“But physical swords look cooler,” Saku said. “Because they have that fancy shine and cool scabbards,” 

“Alright you two,” Fujin leaned over both of their shoulders, resting his weight over the two of them. “Naegi found himself a fancy sword, and now my mom will murder us if we don’t get early to dinner. And I bet,” Fujin pointed a finger at Naegi’s cheek. “Your mom will be there too, since her team is here,” he then pointed the finger over at Saku. “And your mom will be there because she probably won’t miss the chance of our parents all being in the same spot again, even though there were last week,” 

“Under horrible circumstances,” Naegi nodded. 

“Yeah, couldn’t help it though,” Saku said. 

“You murdered a man,” Naegi stated. 

“He deserved it,” Fujin and Saku said in unison. 

“Yeah,” Naegi sighed. “I wish I could’ve seen it,” 

“Wish I could’ve done it,” Fujin huffed. “Danzo deserved a much more painful death,” 

“I killed him like twelve times!” Saku exclaimed. “That got to be painful,” 

“He turned half of it to some genjutsu bullshit, I’m not sure he felt enough pain from that,” Fujin said. 

They left the shop, continuing their bickering on their way up to the Uzukage mansion. Unfortunately for many unfortunate teenagers, Uzu, being a city in a literal crater, had too much uphill. Luckily for any trained shinobi, stairs weren’t that much of an issue. 

The city and the mansion were relatively close to each other, the mansion overlook the city in its entirety, however you couldn’t hear the bustling streets, and the mansion felt like it was secluded. 

Naegi had a tiny theory that maybe, just maybe, it was the act of a desperate father wanting sleep between his five kids, loud wife, eccentric friends etc. It was probably something fuinjutsu related. 

“We’re home!” Fujin shouted as they entered. The three removed their shoes in the hallway before walking into the living room. 

Sakura, Eon and Yuki were all sitting there having some lemonade like drink. Had it been any other place they would probably be drinking tea, but it was a pretty warm day. 

“Hey kids,” Sakura greeted as they entered. “I made lemonade. Grab some glasses from the cupboard, Fujin,” 

“Alright,” Fujin said and disappeared around a corner. 

Naegi and Saku went to sit down. 

“Naegi, is that a new sword?” Yuki asked. Naegi grinned. 

“I got it from Zabuza for free, he said something about Uncle Ryuusuke not wanting it?” Naegi lifted the sword so that Eon and Sakura also could see it. 

“I remember that,” Sakura said. “Zabuza was mad because Ryuusuke’s swords were made when he was a teenager, and that the fit was made for him then especially, so now, both the Tsumibito and the Shokan are technically too short for him according to Zabuza, but Ryuusuke is very sentimental,” 

“He had the Tsumibito from pretty soon after graduation, didn’t he?” Yuki said. “Obito-sensei helped him get it ordered,” 

“That’s like a thousand years ago,” Saku nodded sagely. “Must be a powerful blade,” 

“You read too much manga. Besides, they’re not that old,” Naegi chuckled. 

Fujin came back with glasses for himself, Saku and Naegi. He sat down next to Saku, quickly pouring the three of them some lemonade. 

“Where’s the others?” Naegi asked. He knew that there was generally one or two of the siblings around. 

“Akahiko is preparing for the chuunin exam with Ryuusuke, Sora is meditating at this time of day, Minato just came back from a trip, so he’s probably sleeping downstairs, and Umi just recently started the academy,” Sakura listed. It was hard to keep track of, sometimes. 

“Are you three feeling prepared?” Eon asked. “When we took the chuunin exam it was nothing like this,” she mused. “I’d much prefer it this way though. It’s harsh in its testing, but you’re not risking your life at the level which we were. Of course, sometimes accidents happen, but at least the exam is a bit stricter in the sense of who they’ll actually promote,” Eon stated. 

“But the exam doesn’t ban killing though,” Fujin said. “I think the only thing stopping people from doing it is that ‘excessive killing is a sign of insanity – disqualified’ or something,” Fujin said. “It basically just says that if they let a lunatic in, all it does is bar them from promotion,” 

“And probably participation in future exams,” Sakura finished. “Most nations won’t risk that sort of incident anyway, now that we’re all in such good relations to each other,” 

“War really does bring you together, doesn’t it?” Eon chuckled. 

“At your chuunin exam, a lot of things happened though,” Fujin said. “The Third Hokage died, Dad left the village, Suna tried to invade,” Fujin trailed off. “And then there was Akahiko’s,” 

“Sora and Minato’s went fine though,” Sakura interjected. “And most other chuunin exams since have as well,” 

“And security is much tighter as well,” Yuki said. “It’s been a while since all the kages could make it to the final,” 

“Pretty awesome chance for you guys to show off your skills,” Ryuusuke’s voice rang out. 

“Dad!” Fujin exclaimed. Ryuusuke grinned, hugging Fujin close, despite Fujin’s attempt to wiggle his way out of it. 

“I feel ready for the exam,” Naegi said, he looked at his mother with a bright smile. “I’m ready to show just exactly how strong I have become since graduation.” Yuki smiled back at him encouragingly. 

“You better,” Sakura stated. “You should be more than capable of turning your opponents to dust – not literally.” She stood up, walking over to Ryuusuke and giving him a firm hug. They whispered something to each other that Naegi couldn’t quite catch, but it probably didn’t matter. 

Ryuusuke removed his cape from his shoulder, folding it over the arm of the couch before he sat down with Sakura. Ryuusuke’s eyes then widened for a minute. 

“You guys gotta see this,” Ryuusuke grinned. He disappeared in a flash of golden light before he reappeared again, another white fabric in his hands. He shook it once, revealing a small white shoulder cape with blue flames along the edge. It looked similar to his current cape, but the cut was weirder. Like you would have it cover only one side of your body. It didn’t seem very practical other than looking kinda cool. 

“Isn’t that your old cape? I thought it got ruined?” Eon asked. 

“So did I!” Ryuusuke said. “Turns out that most of it remained intact, even after it had fallen off me at some point during the battle, can’t remember most of it, but apparently Itachi found it when we got back. He was going to tell me but it was basically ruined and I had already made a new one by the time we went there again, so he just left it alone. Then apparently he and Dad came across it when they were having a chat and they decided to send it to someone who could mend it,” Ryuuskue explained quickly. “I keep it in my office here like a memento,” he added. 

“It does seem a lot like the original. You removed the headband?” Eon asked. Fujin scratched the back of his head. 

“Having a scratched Konoha headband isn’t the best memory, to be honest. I have kept it though, but it’s somewhere less on display,” Ryuusuke said. 

He looked at Fujin, a knowing smile on his face. “Sometimes, the choices that you’ve made in the past will seem so stupid, or maybe even cruel. It can cause a lot of pain. It’s important to not forget why you did it, because those emotions were very real. And it’s never wrong to feel,” Ryuusuke said. He then disappeared again, before reappearing without the cape. 

Naegi knew that Ryuusuke had mentioned this because of Fujin and Danzo. And he did understand it, but it made him awfully curious of what Ryuusuke could’ve done that could even compare to what Fujin had done. He had created an entire nation! How could that seem like a bad thing in the grand scheme of things? 

“And you three, Jiraiya is also going to come for dinner so I just got to make one thing clear. If he even does something remotely perverted, you’re free to punch him for it. We’re trying to get him rid of that bad habit. Tsunade couldn’t make it, unfortunately. She said there was too much work at the hospital to be done,” Ryuusuke stated. Sakura and Eon both nodded in approval, and while Yuki didn’t seem to visibly disagree, she seemed a bit more concerned about the punching part. 

“Ah, and Grandma is coming,” Yuki pointed out. “She wanted to stay throughout the entire exam as well,” 

“Prepare yourself for the hugs,” Fujin mumbled. Naegi tried to supress his laughter. He really did. 

Sakura clapped her hands, standing up. “I’ll go prepare dinner, Yuki, you wanted to help?” Sakura asked. Yuki nodded, smiling widely as she followed Sakura into the kitchen. 

“It’s probably best we steer clear of there now,” Ryuusuke chuckled. 

“Yeah, Sakura and Yuki can get quite excited with their food making,” Eon agreed. 

“We all know Yuki’s just making dessert though,” Ryuusuke said. 

Eon shrugged, leaning back in the couch. “It’s her passion outside of teaching, we can’t blame her,” 

“No,” Ryuusuke agreed. He then looked at Naegi and co. “You three should go and find something fun to do in the meanwhile, I’ll fetch you when it’s time to eat,” 

“Cool,” Fujin said, standing up quickly. “I’ve got some games in our attic, wanna go there?” He asked. 

Saku was gone before he finished his question. 

\- 

They had dinner. Kenji had been teased by Ryuusuke a lot, which was a sight to see. Eon had looked slightly exasperated over everything that was happening, but she adorned a fond smile. It was clear that despite still having some annoyance with stupid people acting like stupid people, AKA most of the Uzumaki family in general, she loved all of them quite dearly. 

Yuki and Hamako had yet a long discussion about how good each other’s cakes were, and what both of them could do to improve their current cakes, and then brainstorming for new ideas for new cakes. 

Sakura engaged in calm conversation with Eon while both of them had their own tiny kid nearby. Of course, Nagito was significantly tinier than Umi. But at least the two played well together, under supervision. 

Saku, Minato Jr and Naegi were currently competing between each other in a variety of different competitions. Fujin and Akahiko were discussing with Minato Sr about some fuinjutsu theories and practices. The only odd person out was Sora. He was remarkably distant compared to how he’d been last time they’d seen him. His blue eyes had a stormy look to them, and his unease didn’t go unnoticed. Ryuusuke kept a close eye on him, and Sora seemed to find comfort in his father to a great degree. He kept lingering by his side, as if he was worried that his father was suddenly going to vanish. 


	23. First Exam: Naegi realizes he's the smart one

“I almost forgot!” Fujin’s voice rang out.  Naegi looked away from his current objective (sorting  all of his equipment so that it was ready for the first task, which started in a couple of hours). 

“What?” Arima asked. He too was checking his equipment. 

Fujin came running out, a scroll in his hand. “ Sumire !” He said. It took  Naegi a couple of seconds to connect the dots of that statement.

“Dude, you still have her in there?” Naegi asked. Fujin nodded.

“I was  gonna keep her safe until Danzo was taken care of,” he said. “Otherwise she would’ve been killed.” He started unfurling the scroll across the floor.

“Couldn’t the village have protected her in the same way Arima and Mizuko have been protected?” Naegi asked. Fujin stopped for a minute.

“It would’ve been a lot to explain. I did break into the prison and take her out of there, did I even tell  Obito about that?” Fujin asked. It was Naegi’s turn to shrug this time.

“I mentioned it,” Arima stated. “Though I think only the top people in Konoha know.”

Fujin grinned. “Then it’s all good,” he said. He was about to release the seal when  Naegi stopped him.

“You do realize that you’ve stolen what? Nearly two years of time from her and plan now on unsealing her in a different nation. We don’t have the time to explain everything to her,”  Naegi said. Fujin’s eyes widened slightly. How he hadn’t thought of that was beyond  Naegi . Was he excited?

“I can bring her to Mom?” Fujin asked. 

“That’s better. You have everything ready, right?”  Naegi asked. Fujin nodded. “The first task is at the academy, the hospital isn’t too far away from that anyway,”  Naegi continued. “Don’t be late,”

“ Yeah, yeah,” Fujin said. He disappeared out the door, leaving  Naegi and Arima alone in the room. Shikao had left to meet up with his team earlier, probably to discuss last minute tactics or something. (Which was silly  since they had no idea what was coming for them.)

“I can’t believe Fujin had someone trapped in a pocket dimension and then forgot about it,” Arima said, still looking at the closed door.

“He has a tendency to forget the little things,”  Naegi said. “He actually managed to organize a big birthday for Saku a  couple of years ago, where he had been planning it months ahead and it was a really elaborate plan, but he still forgot his own,”

“That’s on brand,” Arima chuckled. They went back to checking their equipment one last time. 

“Do you feel ready?”  Naegi asked. He glanced over at Arima, who briefly just stared into thin air.

“On one hand, I don’t think anything can feel like more of a challenge to us,” Arima said. “Yet, I’m excited. It will be nice to get a chance to  test my skills against actual trained ninja and not just bandits .” He put his weapons into the correct pouches before attaching them to his person. He stood up. “I have to go meet my team,” he said. “ See you out there,”

“See  ya ,”  Naegi replied as Arima left the room. 

He took a deep breath as he packed down his things. His new sword,  named  _ Seiyaku- _ _ sha _ _ ,  _ was strapped securely on his side.  Fujin had been smart enough to carve in a sort of transportation seal for him. It would let him summon the weapon to his side at a moment’s notice, which  Naegi was very grateful for. Saku had said something along the lines of ‘you just shouldn’t lose it’ even though she lost things more times than  Naegi kept track of.

He stepped out of the room, closing it behind him slowly. He couldn’t help but to feel a bit nervous. On one hand, he had no d oubt that they would be able to pass the exam. On the other, he didn’t have a great track record with Chuunin exams going his way, save for the one field trip that they had.  He found Saku in the reception area, Kenji beside her.

“Where did Fujin run off to?” Saku asked, hopping of the table she was sitting on. 

“Headed to the hospital, he’s  gonna release  Sumire ,”  Naegi replied. Saku’s eyes widened momentarily, before her shock quickly morphed into a pout.

“I wanted to be there,” she huffed, crossing her arms. “ Sumire is my friend, its unfair,” she stated.

“You have the  chuunin exam to worry about,” Kenji stated. “You won’t be able to register until Fujin comes, but you should meet him by the entrance to the academy,” he continued. “I’ll go tell him where to meet you before going to the  jonin lounge where all the instructors watch the exams,” he explained. He looked at them for a moment, as if he wanted to say something else, something more personal. “Good luck,” he said lamely, rather than whatever  Naegi had expected. He disappeared in a body flicker, leaving Saku and  Naegi al one. 

“It’s unfortunate that there’s still so much time until the exam,” Saku sighed. “I don’t know what to do to kill time, because Kenji-sensei was all like-” Saku  made an attempt to mess her hair up, squinting her eyes. It was a ra ther crude  imitation of their teacher. “’No training before the exam, especially not after the three of you pulling that stunt with Danzo.’”

“It’s a good thing that if we get promoted to chuunin then he can’t punish us with more D-ranks,” Naegi pointed out. 

“Yes,” Saku said, nodding as if she had thought of that herself. (She hadn’t).

“We could go to the academy and observe though,”  Naegi proposed. Saku cocked her head to the side, staring at him with curiously. 

“You know, since some teams will probably show up early to register and stuff to not get caught in a queue,  if we hang out in a distance, we can observe our opponents,”  Naegi said. 

“That sounds incredibly boring but so is waiting around so let’s go!”

-

Fujin watched as his mother did the routine check-up on  Sumire . After unsealing, she had been disoriented, slightly p anicked, but Sakura was quick to calm her down. They had yet to decide how they would explain that nearly two years had passed. 

But Fujin knew that  Sumire was smart, and that she was very good at observing. She had probably made a general understanding of the situation already. She  definitely knew that Danzo was dead, because the seal was gone. It wasn’t a sensation you quite forgot. 

“You’re going to be fine,” Sakura said. “I can’t see any form of side effects so far, how  are you feeling now?” She asked.  Sumire glanced over at Fujin for a moment bef ore meeting Sakura’s gaze again.

“I feel normal,”  Sumire said. “For me,  It’s like I blinked. I was sealed and then I was here,” she continued. “I can still feel the strain from the battle, but at the same time Nue  has grown stronger,” 

Fujin stood up at that, walking over to Sumire’s bedside.

“Nue is a summon, correct? Connected to you through the seal on your back,” He asked. Sumire nodded.

“Most likely, time has passed for Nue because he wasn’t in my pocket dimension, so to speak. His spiritual energy has continued to grow over time.” Fujin really wanted to analyse exactly what created  Nue and how it tied in with the seal on Sumire. If he could create something similar it would be an extremely good asset against Orochimaru. 

“I know that it has been some time,”  Sumire stated, interrupting Fujin’s thoughts. Fujin glanced at Sakura carefully, but she just nodded rather than doing anything else that would save him from this conversation.

“Nearly two years,” Fujin said slowly. “Danzo was killed a week ago. Saku did it,” 

Sumire took a deep breath. Two years was a long time to lose. Fujin struggled to even fathom what she could be feeling. He knew about  all of the technicalities, but what the effects were... he didn’t know. 

“I guess we’re actually the same age now then,”  Sumire chuckled. Fujin frowned slightly, clearly not following.

“What?” He asked. 

“I’m two years older than you guys, I’m just  kinda smaller than average and good at acting, so Danzo put me in a lower class so that I could train with him before starting the academy when I actually should’ve,”  Sumire stated. Fujin nodded, understanding but yet not entirely following.

The door slid open, Kenji moving into the room.

“Am I interrupting?” Kenji asked. Sakura shook her head.

“We’re finishing up here,” she said. “Did you need anything?” 

Kenji pointed to Fujin. “Just here to tell him to meet Saku and  Naegi at the academy. I’m headed to the  jonin lounge, so I won’t see them until after the exam is done,” 

Fujin nodded affirmingly. “I should probably get going then,” he said.

“Fujin,”  Sumire said. “You know I’m grateful, right?” She asked. Fujin smiled.

“I’m glad,” he said.

-

Saku hung upside down from the branch by her knees , swinging gently back and forth to keep herself warm .  Naegi was sitting on top of the same branch , a notebook in hand. He was quite good at spotting people and deducing where  they were from. Not that difficult, considering at least one of them generally wore their forehead protector on the forehead. Saku and Fujin did,  Naegi did not. But  such was life. 

An additional weight  came, weighing the branch down . Fujin was standing there, his arms crossed.

“How did it go?” Saku asked, flipping herself up. 

“ Sumire will be fine , she’s resting at the hospital while my mom observes, ” Fujin  said . “You’ve been doing research?” Fujin asked. 

“Yeah,”  Naegi replied. “I  don’t know enough names though, and we don’t know their abilities yet,”  Naegi said. “However,  there are approximately a hundred and fifty participants. The majority are from Konoha and  Uzu , though there are a lot of Kiri  n in here as well ,”  Naegi explained. He jumped down from the branch, landing lightly on the ground. 

“We should go register,” Saku said right before Naegi was about to.

“Does the  sharingan prediction thing work without activating or are you just getting really good at reading people?” Naegi asked. Saku just grinned at him.

They headed to the entrance of the academy. There were tons of people there already, but the registration was done by country, so it wasn’t like they had one line for all of them.  All they did was check up their team number, confirming who their teacher was and that it was their correct names and stuff. They were then each given a slip of paper with different  numbe r s on it. 

“Please go through the door behind me and wait there,” the receptionist said, pointing lazily behind him. Was he a descendant of the Nara?

The room they entered was a large auditorium . It was getting  pretty full , but there were still lots of participants outside. There was another thirty minutes before the exam was scheduled to begin. 

“There they are!” A familiar voice exclaimed. A small bark followed in agreement. Soon enough,  Hitomi ,  Aimaru, Choza and Shikao came through the crowd. 

“Have you seen the others?” Saku asked, bumping fists with  Hitomi as a greeting. 

“No,”  Hitomi said. “But I figure they’re in here somewhere. Unfortunately, the person who stands out the most is Tai Lee, but even he’s lost in this crowd,” 

“You three on the other hand, are noticeable enough as it is,” Shikao added. 

“I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about,”  Naegi stated, watching as Saku jumped up above the crowd to see if she could spot more of their friends. 

“Hana and the others are closer to the stage!” Saku exclaimed.  She was about to go running down when Fujin grabbed a hold of her arm.

“The proctor is coming,” he said. A brief second later the door opened.  Naegi’s eyes widened slightly, his arm  unconsciously going to his sword.

“That’s Haku!”  Naegi whispered. 

Haku stepped towards the centre of the stage, pressing two fingers to the side of his throat. 

“Can everyone please sit down, the exam will start in five minutes and I’d like to explain some rules,” Haku said. 

Their little group quickly made their way down to where Hana, Kenzo and Tai Lee were, making sure that the nine of them were sitting near each other. Saku hadn’t seen Arima and his team yet, but she knew that he was in there somewhere. Call it intuition. 

In the following minutes there were some sounds of people shuffling around and finding free seats, but soon enough a silence fell over the room. Haku waited patiently, his arms behind his back as he wa ited until everyone had settles.

“My name is  Momochi Haku, I am the first proctor of the  chuunin exam,” Haku said. “I will now explain the rules of the first task, please remember them,” he continued. A monitor turned on behind him,  showing the number thirty in a strong red color.

“Each one of  you has a piece of paper with a number on it. That number represents a room here in the academy. These rooms have been modelled after a person’s living space. You will gather as many clues as you can about this person,” Haku said. 

“Individually, you and your teammates have ten points. That means thirty in total,” Haku pointed up towards the monitor. “Around in the academy, there are sentries who will attempt to stop you from reaching your target . If you are spotted, trapped, captured or leave behind visible traces, you will lose points based on the sentries around the building,” Haku explained. A  chuunin appeared beside him, dressed in  the standard  Chuunin uniform in  Uzu . However, his headband was replaced with a band with ‘s entry’ written on it. 

“If one of your teammates loses all of their ten points, the entire team fails,”  Haku said, putting emphasis on the last part. “You  are allowed to fight and do whatever you feel is nec essary to get to your location. Reminding  all participants that killing puts your promotion on high risk of annulment. There are cameras that observe the entire exam, so don’t think that you’ll be able to get away with it anyway,” Haku said. “These are also protected b y special kind of  fuinjutsu that protects them from harm and  genjutsu , so don’t attempt to destroy them either,” 

Saku poked Fujin in the side. “Why is he saying this? Isn’t this a given?” She asked. Fujin leaned toward her slightly. 

“The  chuunin exam used to be a very deadly ordeal. They’re saying this to remind everyone that it isn’t something you do anymore. It’s standard procedure,” Fujin explained. 

“You have two hours to get to your room and out of the academy , once you’re out, please wait until your entire team has gathered before  you meet me at the dojo to the west of the academy, ” Haku said, and with the final word the walls behind him opened up, showing the backside of the academy with all the training ground s, and the same with the walls on the opposite end of the room, which opened the way to the main entrance of the academy.  “Your time starts now,” The red thirty behind him suddenly turned into a countdown, beeping down with each second.

Saku,  Naegi and Fujin used a body flicker to get some distance away. Fujin glanced over their numbers. 

Saku had room 139,  Naegi had 034 and Fujin had 450. 

“The  Uzu nin has a definite advantage here,”  Naegi murmured. 

It was true. They knew the academy better than anyone, but Fujin knew a lot about it as well. And you always used every advantage you could.

“Probably why they have sentries and traps,” Fujin said. “Saku, your room is on the first floor, meaning the one we are on now,” he pointed to the ‘3’ in her number. “This means section three. There are five sections in the academy, representing the main branches. Right now, we’re in section  one. Section two and three are to the left from when we enter the academy, it’s the closest, but there are signs as well,” Fujin explained. “The number on the  doors are labelled ,” he added.

“ Naegi , you’re in the basement. You could see the stairs when we entered, right?” Fujin asked.  Naegi nodded. “Good. It’s the same layout underneath as well,” Fujin quickly brought out his sealing equip ment, grabbing a pencil rather than his brush. He quickly sketched the layout of the academy on some empty paper tags for  Naegi and Saku both. “This is roughly where you’re going,” he said. 

“ So, we just have to not get caught, right?” Saku asked.

“Basically. Saku, use your  sharingan when you look for clues. You need the photographic memory,” Fujin said. Saku nodded. She was going to do that anyway. She wasn’t always dumb. (just most of the time.)

“How will we find each other when we’re done?” Naegi asked. Fujin hummed.

“We’ll just leave the academy when we’re done. Flare your chakra once your outside, and then if someone is outside  already they’ll just go there. In Saku’s case, you can just  look for me and Naegi,”

“Yeah that’s true. You guys are like beacons compared to the other chakra signatures here,” Saku agreed.

“Let’s go!”  Naegi said. The three disappeared from view from each other. 

Saku decided to go for the chameleon technique. It was the easiest way for her to stay out of view, and with her eyes activated, she spotted any sentry or opposite team a mile away. She grinned. This would be an easy task. 

Fujin’s map helped a lot with navigating the space when she had to be quiet and quick. If she’d had to search the entire building for her room, this would have taken so much longer.  Finally, she understood why the academy had been so insistent that they should always observe a new location for at least a day before they started on their mission objective.

She entered section three, crawling along the roof to avoid the wires she could see on the floor. She couldn’t imagine what fool who’d want to walk around those trippy things when they could just go on the roof instead. She was near her room when suddenly something glowed underneath her.

Suddenly her body froze, and she crashed down the floor hard. A paralysis  seal .

Fujin would  _ never  _ let her live this down. 

Saku created a burst of chakra, crushing the seals restraints. She quickly activated her chameleon  jutsu again, concealing her chakra as she jumped back to where she knew there wasn’t any traps . Just a few seconds after, a sentry appeared around the corner with quick steps. So , they could sense when the traps where activated. The sentry opened the door to her room,  searching it quickly.

If she had more time than the two hours, she would even have considered waiting to see if perhaps there was a routine to these checks, but she would have to rely on her ability to see them. She glanced around, expanding her range. Most teams went indivi dually, while there were still quite a few who went together. One of the full teams were the people Fujin had talked to when they arrived, the self-proclaimed rival or whatever. Saku wondered briefly why they decided to go together when they easily could run through their academy considering they knew the place. She shook her head. She had other things to worry about. 

The sentry left her room, letting her sneak her way in there without setting off any other traps. 

It was a bedroom. Not an especially nice bedroom either. It looked like a room that only had the bare  necessities .  A bed with plain sheets, a nightstand, a wardrobe in the corner a nd a bookshelf. There was a fluffy white carpet on the floor. 

Saku walked across the room, heading to the bed and nightstand first. In the drawer there was a picture of a whole lot of people. If  her target was among these people or not, she didn’t know. There were around ten of them. She made sure she got a good look at it though, her  sharingan burning it into her mind. She placed the picture on top of the nightstand, heading over to the wardrobe instead. If she was lucky, she’d be able to find one of the articles of clothing in the picture in this wardrobe. 

She did not. However, it was only male clothing, in a relatively big size as well. So, either an adult or a very well-built teenager. There was a black circle with a diamond-l ike shape on top of it. Probably a clan mark. That was very nice to know. 

She then headed over to the  bookshelf. Most of it was just history books, though some of them had those funny marking guides that she’d seen her own academy teachers have. So, this was probably a teacher. A part of her wished that the academy was up and working then, because that would be the easiest way to find him, by just jumping him  in the building when she knew what he looked like. 

However, the academy was closed for the duration of the exam, at least until the second exam was over. The academy usually opened when the one-month training and rest period before the third exam started.

She could potentially have a stronger look at things, but just as she was about to check in some books, she spotted another sentry heading towards her. She glanced around, quickly spotting a vent in the corner. She leaped to it, opening it  and slipping through just as the door to her room opened.

That would have to be enough investigation.

\--

Fujin stared at the wall with his arms crossed.

Saku and Naegi could never know about this.

He was in a cell. 

He’d been  _ caught _ .

He knew that he technically  was allowed to fight back, but he was a little tiny bit concerned still about fighting people who he considered allies just in case he ended up blacking out on them. It hadn’t happened in forever, but still. It was less than comfortable for him when he knew that no one else would stop him from potentially killing a person. Perhaps the entire deal with Danzo sicking him on  Naegi still lingered in his mind. Though he knew the chance of the Kyuubi breaking lose in the middle o f the  chuunin exam was pretty slim.

So, he hadn’t resisted when the sentry had brought him along. In any case, he knew exactly where he was going. And that was up. This cell was basically right underneath his target room. He just had to wait until the sentry left. He glanced at the lock. He could also just....

He carefully unsealed his lockpick  equipment . Yes. He had that too. He was always prepared for stuff like this. 

Stealthy –  steaaaaalthy – Got it!

With a tiny creak the door opened. The  chuunin briefly turned around when Fujin launched himself at the  chuunin , a paralysis seal slamming into the side of the  chuunin’s face.  The  chuunin’s body froze, falling to the ground. 

“You don’t need to try and break the seal,” Fujin said. “I’ve amplified its strength in exchange for its duration. You’ll be able to move in five minutes,” he added. He stepped over the  chuunin , sneaking out the door.

The chameleon  jutsu was the proper way to do things now, he supposed.  He put a muffling seal on both his feet and continued to walk on the floor. He didn’t really have to be concerned about wasting chakra, however it took less concentration to just walk. 

He quickly found an exit, deciding to scale the wall instead. He’d rather not run into more sentries. He spotted a couple of traps along the walls as well , but those were much easier to avoid. Many of them were  fuinjutsu based anyway, Fujin could disable them in his sleep. 

A lot of  Uzu students knew  fuinjutsu , but Fujin was on a much higher level than what they were.  Orochimaru knew the usefulness of the art, he practiced it himself. With Fujin’s enhanced intellect and natural affinity for it, his potential was indescribable. These seals were made to stop  genin . Saku could probably break through them if she was caught in them. Though Fujin  found that unlikely. She’d have to be  really careless to step onto one of them.

Fujin found the window for his room, and he made quick works of unlocking it and sliding inside. The room itself seemed to not have any traps, probably to not make the test too hard. It was modelled after a  form of dressing room.  He removed his shoes, not wanting to risking leaving any prints from his sandals.  (He’d rather remove them and walk barefoot rather than forget himself and step onto something that would leave prints.)

Fujin went to the slightly shabby vanity table that was there. It wasn’t really a vanity table, it was more like a bench, with a loose mirror propped up against the wall. Fujin opened the drawers. There was a collection of razors, shaving cream and of the sort. A man then, in  older years by the collection of black and grey hairs that hadn’t been collected. 

So most likely older than thirty at the minimum. By the amount of grey hairs probably closer to forty, though that wasn’t a fact-based statement as much as a guess. He needed more definite proof to get the actual age. 

There was also a bottle of scar-care ointment , specifically one made for facial scars . So, this man had been a shinobi at some point at least, maybe active, maybe not. It was hard to say in  Uzu. Most of them had been either mercenaries or shinobi at one point in their life, if they continued or not when they came here was a completely different discussion.

He made sure to close the drawer carefully as to not shake the things inside.  He didn’t know how thorough the  chuunin checking traces would be, but he’d rather be on the safe side. He went to the wardrobe, noting that most of the clothes even in there were not  really nicely folded, and some of them even had dirt  stains on it. Fujin took a closer sniff. In addition to the absolutely horrible  old-man sweat stench, there was also a slight trace of flowers. Specifically , one of the native flowers in  Uzu , which had nearly gone instinct. It was  also Fujin’s favourite, because his mother and father liked planting them in the garden at the compound. Though around the city, they were only grown in designated areas in lower  Uzu . By the strength of the smell, either the man worked with the garden a lot, or he just lived in lower  Uzu . Possibly both. Some clothes with stronger smell of the flowers were the ones covered in dirt, but even those that were clean still held the smell.

The sizing of this clothes suggested that the man was closer to 180cm.  There was a clan mark as well. Circle with a diamond shape. Fujin q uickly scribbled down the things he’d learned on a scroll. He closed the wardrobe, making sure that the clothes were approximately in the same position as they had started with. 

He saw the door to the room open. He swiftly threw one of his bastardized thunder god kunai out the window,  teleporting to it as soon as it had passed through.

Fujin had made these many years ago in cases of emergency. He hadn’t quite gotten the seal right, so the amount of chakra it took was  pretty big . And how accurate his  teleportation was... well, it wasn’t always easy to say.

Right now, he was falling. Luckily, he was on the fourth floor, which gave him the time to quickly bring out a kunai with ninja wire attached to it. He charged the kunai with chakra, launching it on the building. It latched on to the wall, and Fujin fell another couple of meters before the wire tightened. Fujin swung towards the wall. 

“Wind style: Breakthrough!” Fujin exclaimed. A shot of wind shot towards the wall,  stopping his would-be-horrible-encounter with the wall abruptly. He sighed. 

If he’d been at  Orochimaru’s he’d be punished so hard for this display. He shook his head. Better not think about that. 

He ran up to the roof,  heading  towards the entrance side of the a cademy. 

\--

Naegi found himself back at the tree where he and Saku had observed the other contestants earlier. He’d flared his chakra when he was done, but he had yet to be found by his teammates or feel them flare their own chakra. Though, there was no other team that had completely gathered  yet anyway. 

It hadn’t been more than thirty minutes anyway.

He saw Arima exit the building from one of the windows. And though  Naegi was tempted to go over and say hi, he decided that staying in the place he flared was better. Besides, Arima was heading somewhere in the opposite directi on, most likely to a designated meeting spot with his team. 

Then, from the rooftop, he saw Fujin walk down the wall. He didn’t seem rushed, meaning he’d done his investigation as well.  Just as he passed over one of the vents, the grate was kicked open, nearly throwing Fujin off the wall. 

Naegi couldn’t hear what Fujin yelled, but he was sure he’d never want to repeat it around Fujin’s little sister.

Regardless, a very familiar face came out from the vent. Saku bashfully looked up at Fujin, who still looked like he was close to swearing up a storm.  Naegi sighed. They were  actually more alike than one would’ve thought. But similar in the sense that they were the extremes on opposite ends of the spectrum. Or something like that. They were undeniable siblings, in his eyes , even if the biological aspect wasn’t there.

He flared his chakra again, getting the attention of both his teammates easily. The two looked at each other.  Naegi wondered briefly if he should attempt to find a way to zoom in on things in real life. He couldn’t see what facial expressions they had. But he didn’t like it.

Then they sprinted.

They set off at full speed, jumping of the roof. They crashed down on the ground, a small crater coming from their spot as the two shot forwards again, dashing towards  Naegi with  frightning determination. 

The two of them ran past the tree  Naegi was sitting on. The two coming to a screeching halt.

“I was first!” The two yelled in unison, followed up by their own ‘No way, I was first!’.  Naegi leaped down from the tree, crossing his arms as he smiled, just slightly annoyed that they completely ignored him.

“ _ I  _ was first,”  Naegi said. He sighed. “At least we’re done early. I think we’re the first team who finished this early. It’ll be fun if they show the scores and show us on top too,” N aegi chuckled.

Fujin and Saku looked away from him. Saku was faking a whistle, kicking her leg back and forth. Fujin simply brought a hand up to the back of his head, pulling at his hair as if he hadn’t quite heard what Naegi had said.

“You’re both terrible liars,”  Naegi said. “What kind of shinobi even are you,” 

“Hey, I’m a great liar!” Fujin argued.

“It’s not something to be proud of!” Saku shot in. 

Naegi sighed again. He was surrounded by actual morons. Fujin’s intellect must have been a fluke. 

However, Fujin’s weird mood disappeared almost as quickly as  Naegi had figured it arrived.  He took a deep breath. “Let’s head to the dojo,” he said.  Naegi and Saku both nodded and followed him as he led the way to the dojo.

It wasn’t far away. A relatively large building, much more old-fashioned tha n the rest of the academy. It looked very ceremonial.  They entered the building, quickly finding Haku along with two other  chuunin . 

“I expected you three would be the first,” Haku said with a smile. “Congratulations, team 7 of  Konohagakure , for completing the first task of the  Chuunin exam. You pass with a  25 out of thirty points. Would you like to know the individual scores?” Haku asked.

“No,” Saku and Fujin said, though their answer was drowned out by  Naegi’s strong “Yes.”

Haku smiled, clearly happy to oblige. ( Naegi had a feeling it might have been to annoy Fujin. He wasn’t upset about that.)

“ Naegi completed the task without losing any points. Fujin lost two points, while Saku lost three,”

“How did they lose them?”  Naegi asked. 

“That’s not important,” Fujin said. Saku nodded frequently, growing redder by the second.

“Since I doubt any other team will come, how about I show you the recording?” Haku asked. He didn’t wait for an answer as he led their attention to a small screen on a wall. He showed how Saku got caught in the seal and fell to the floor, then the scan of Saku’s room. Dirty prints on the carpet, misplaced picture. “You lost points for setting off the trap, and for leaving to visible clues,” Haku explained. He them smirked, the screen switching to Fujin staring down a proctor. There was a pause, the gears behind Fujin’s eye s clearly working before he raised his hands. It was then followed by Fujin being led to the cell, where he remained for another five minutes before breaking out.

Saku’s laughter broke the silence that followed from the clip.

“Fujin,” Haku said, his voice was filled with mirth. “You lost point from being spotted and captured,” he said.  Fujin rolled his eyes. 

Saku continued laughing.

Naegi punched Fujin in the shoulder. Not too hard, but hard enough to show his disappointment. “What was that?” He asked. Fujin eyed him for a second, then looked away, once again moving his hand to fiddle with his hair.

“I was scared,” Fujin mumbled. “Of losing control,” he added. 

Naegi stared at him, not  really sure how to reply. How was he supposed to? If Fujin was referring to the Kyuubi or the flashbacks to the pit he used to ha ve  Naegi didn’t know. Though he hadn’t snapped at anyone since coming to Konoha after his year in Uzu. 

Unless you counted the Danzo-Kyuubi incident, but that wasn’t Fujin’s fault at all. 

“Dumbass,”  Naegi said finally. “You’re equally good at evasion that you are on combat, you should’ve just  run if you didn’t want to fight.” Fujin snorted, lifting his shoulders in a semi-agre eing manner.

“Suppose so,” he said. 

“Regardless,” Haku said. “There is still a bit more than an hour left of the exam, please wait here until it’s over. There will be a five-minute wait after the exam is done to give la te comers the chance to make it here.  After that, the explanation of the second task will begin,”

\--

Arima, Mizuko and  Asuka were the second team to make it through the exam. Arima got a perfect score, whereas  Asuka and Mizuko both edged it with  both of them getting six points each. 

Saku sat down next to Arima, who was apparently trying to meditate. 

“I’ve started digging into my family history,” Arima said suddenly. Saku turned to look at him, not entirely certain how to a nswer.

“That’s a good thing,” she said. “Right?”

Arima gave a small nod. He folded his hands, his thumbs twiddling around each other.

“I... I figured that me and Hinami must ’ve had parents somewhere, right? Or at least some living family ,” Arima explained. Saku nodded slowly. Arima didn’t speak much of his family, he’d seem to have wanted to avoid the subject for the longest time. He spoke fondly of Hinami, but the memories were heavily ridden with a deep grief and regret. It was difficult to say if he’d ever resolved the emotions surrounding her death. 

“You want to find them,” Saku said. She was happy for him, she really was. But at the same time, she felt a little bit hurt. Wasn’t their new family good enough? Her, Fujin,  Naegi , Arima... they’d lived together for so long that Arima simply had become a part of their make-shift household. Even  Asuka and Mizuko were beginning to become a part of that, with how often  Arima brought them to the house. Even though Mizuko did have her own family, she really was just another soul who Saku and the others could bond with, because of similar experiences. 

“I do,” Arima said. “If not just to get some closure, but maybe they’re looking – maybe they’re waiting for us... or me, at least,” he said. 

Saku had always regarded Arima as very strong. As someone who had  unwavering strength. She knew that he struggled with his sister, but he was strong . He seemed so strong. The fact  t h at he had this desire – that he  had this thought running around his head. She hadn’t quite imagined it. Had she perhaps not thought about what he might want to do? 

“Well,” Saku said slowly. “If you need any help, you know I’m here for you, right?” She asked. Arima smiled. He  leaned slightly against her, their shoulders barely brushing against  each other . 

“Thank you,” 

\--

Out of the one hundred and forty-seven  genin who entered the exam, only thirty-six passed the first round. From Konoha, only the twelve rookies passed through, out of the thirty-three that had come.  There were three teams from  Uzu , among them Haru and his teammates Natsu and Fuyu. There were two teams from  Iwa ,  and one from Kumo, Kiri and  Suna . 

The teams stood lined up in the dojo. In front of them, the two  chuunin proctors of the second exam seem to regard their remaining participants. 

“My name is Aki, and this is my partner  Tsuru ,” the man said , pointing to the woman next to him as he called her name. 

“Congratulations on making it to the second part of the  chuunin exam,”  Tsuru said, grinning. 


	24. Second Exam: Pizza Delivery

“The second part of the chuunin exam is simple,” Aki stated. “You will use the information you’ve gathered in your individual rooms together. If you did the first task properly, you will have enough information to find your target somewhere in Uzu. You have seventy-two hours to locate your target and bring him to a designated safehouse, where you have immunity from any pursuers” he explained. 

“Your target is a ‘spy’ and will not come willingly,” Tsuru added. “And there will be normal chuunin sentries around the city that will treat your extraction as they would any other attempted extraction, as a probably crime,” Tsuru eyed them all carefully. “Being caught results in disqualification for your entire team,” 

Saku eyed Naegi and Fujin out of the corner of her eye. They didn’t exactly have the best ‘capture’ situation. Though they could probably use fuinjutsu she supposed. 

“After thirty-six hours other enemies will come after your target as well. You will have to either protect your target as you transport him if you’ve located him already, or you might lose your opportunity to find your target at all,” Aki finished. 

The two of them shared a glance, before Tsuru shrugged. 

“I think that was everything,” she said. Aki headed to each individual team, handing out the location of the designated safehouses. “Get together and start your mission. Seventy-two hours begins now!” 

Saku, Fujin and Naegi disappeared in a body flicker, getting themselves away from prying eyes and ears. 

“Alright,” Naegi said. “What do we know?” He asked. 

“Our target is a man probably around his forties,” Fujin started. “Black hair, but it’s greying. He should be around 180 cm tall and a facial scar,” he continued. 

“Oh! I remember a man like that from a picture I found!” Saku exclaimed. At least now she would be able to recognise him easily if she spotted him on the street. “He works as a teacher, I think. He had lots of those curriculum and teacher’s guide books,” she added. “And then there’s the clan mark,” 

Fujin brought out a scroll, unfurling it to show the mark he’d seen on the man’s clothing. “This one, right?” He asked. Saku nodded. 

“I had his office,” Naegi said. “Several receipts of the same bar, all bought from around 18.00-19.00 every day, it’s called the Swirled Lion,” 

“A drunk,” Saku said, slightly disappointed. 

“Probably,” Naegi agreed. “However, he also volunteers at the Uzu orphanage. Though he doesn’t have regular hours there. Probably something he does in the breaks when the academy isn’t up and running,” 

“That means he’d be there now, wouldn’t it?” Saku asked. “Since the academy is closed during the exam,” 

“He lives in lower Uzu,” Fujin added. “Close to the garden section. I think he might be volunteering there as well, or at least he is spending a lot of time there. Half his clothes were covered in dirt,” Fujin brought out a map of Uzu, unfolding it. He drew a circle around the academy, the orphanage, and the area with the flowers. 

“He probably won’t be at the academy,” Naegi reminded Fujin. “They will still have to remove all the traps that are there,” 

“That’s true,” Fujin Agreed, marking the academy with a tiny cross in the center. “For now, Saku should scout around lower Uzu and see if she can spot the man there. It’s still in the afternoon, so he might be at home because of his odd hours. Knowing where he lives specifically will be an asset,” Fujin said. 

“I can go look for the bar, Fujin you could stick around the orphanage and see if he pops up there,” Naegi suggested. Fujin nodded. He fished out communication devices from his pouch. 

“I thought those were only rented out during missions?” Saku asked. “They’re super expensive to get at the quality that makes them useful for long distance communication,” 

“I asked my Dad for it for my birthday, and he asked Aunt Eon and Uncle Yachi very nicely if Uncle Yachi maybe could consider making some for us,” Fujin explained, handing them each a pair. 

“Bet that wasn’t hard,” Saku chuckled. “Dad always wants to tinker,” 

“Now we can communicate with each other. We should send shadow clones under disguise around the village as well,” Fujin said. “I’ll cover one with the Fuinjutsu henge as well, just in case that some might try to look through the normal one,” 

“Before we begin looking for the man, we should also consider what we can do when we find him,” Naegi said. “The proctors said that the authorities would stop what will probably look like a kidnapping, or breaking and entering,” 

“It’s kind of hard to plan the kidnapping part of this if we don’t know where he is though,” Saku said. “Like he could be super unpredictable and stuff. I say we nab him after the bar, when he’s probably drunk as hell, and just pretend that we’re helping him home. I doubt that people will automatically suspect that we small cute genin are criminals,” 

“I think the smartest move is for me to seal him away,” Fujin said. “Though it could also be risky, because sealing living people is... tricky, especially if they’re not willing,” 

“The sewers?” Naegi asked. Saku and Fujin both frowned. “Come on, you can’t be queasy about some smell when it might be the easiest route ever,” 

“Can too!” Saku said. “The sewer is a horrible idea!” She paused, looking for an example. “Like, it’s probably what everyone will think is easiest, and half the other teams will also be down there,” 

Naegi rolled his eyes. “We aren’t exactly the best capable of kidnapping people if we want to pass this exam nicely. Imagine how disappointed Kenji-sensei will be if we fail because you guys didn’t want to get dirty!” 

“Ah,” Fujin said. “We can just have Saku use her sharingan.” 

Naegi and Saku stared at him for a few seconds. “What?” Saku asked. 

“Genjutsu, Saku,” Fujin said. “Ya know, the part of your sharingan that literally has the ability to make people do what you want. It can control the kyuubi, I doubt some middle-aged man will be an issue.” 

Saku frowned. She had never attempted that sort of technique before, but she could remember Sasuke talking about it. He didn’t specify what he’d used it for, but he had explained to her the basics of it. 

“I haven’t done it before though,” she said. “What if it doesn’t work?” 

“Then we knock him out and I seal him away,” Fujin said. He handed his teleportation kunai to Saku. He didn’t think they would end up in any active combat during this exam either, hopefully. If he used the teleportation once more, his reserves would be pretty drained already, a testament to how poor this design actually was. He really wanted his Grandpa to teach him the actual Thundergod technique. 

“Since you’re keeping a watch over the house, or at least trying to find it, check if you can get this anywhere inside the house during the day. An open window or anything. If you can manage, placing it under a small genjutsu could be the safest way to hide it from view, but the chances of this man noticing it immediately is slim to none,” Fujin said. “If you can do this, I can teleport inside the house during the night, unlock the door for you guys, and then we take him out,” 

“Don’t you think we’re rushing it by doing it the first night?” Naegi asked. Fujin frowned. 

“The second night is when the ‘opponents’ come into play,” he reminded them. “I’d rather not face other chuunin and maybe have to fight it out,” 

“So, rather than observing,” Saku said. “You just want to jump right to it? This sounds like my kind of plan.” She wasn’t entire sure if she was making fun of herself or not at this point, but at least the plan did sound pretty safe, even though it was much more risky than what she’d assume from Fujin. 

“Using half a day, or slightly less than that” Fujin said. “Before nightfall to observe,” he looked at Saku and Naegi. “Then take him to the safehouse before dawn. We will have used around fourteen hours,” he explained. 

“What if we do find him early on? Like at the orphanage?” Naegi asked. 

“Then we just tail him,” Fujin said. “Perhaps we’ll notice an even better opportunity to take him out.” He looked at the two for confirmation, and there wasn’t really anything else to say. Naegi and Saku both trusted Fujin to make plans that were nearly guaranteed to work. And even if this one didn’t, they would still have the remaining hours to try and catch the dude again. 

Saku wasn’t so uncertain about their abilities that one mistake would risk their entire exam. The stakes weren’t that high. 

Though she had arguably the worst job to begin with. She decided to send a few clones out to scout for the target while she found herself in a ramen bar near lower Uzu. 

They were no way as good as Ichiraku, but they would have to do. 

“You’re a Konoha ninja, aren’t you?” The man behind the counter asked. Saku smiled at him. 

“That’s right,” she said. “But right now, I’m just hungry,” she laughed. She ordered a few bowls, and the man – who's name was apparently Chikara, told her a few stories of how he’d travelled around the continent to learn ‘the super secrets of ramen’. 

Saku ate with gusto. The exam hadn’t lasted for long but it had been some time since breakfast anyway. At least she hoped Fujin and Naegi would go eat too, because the two of them might be slightly smarter than her, but they could also be really dumb. Like forget to take care of themselves dumb. Naegi was slightly better than Fujin, but he also had a mind that forgot to do things when he was focused. Like eating. 

Saku froze momentarily when one of her clones’ memories entered her mind. They had found the house. She’d assume that she wouldn’t find it before the man himself entered it, but the mailbox was marked with the clan mark. 

Saku pressed her earpiece. “Fujin,” she said, moving away from the counter after leaving some money by her empty bowl. 

“What is it?” Fujin’s voice replied quickly. “Did you find him?” 

Saku jumped up on a rooftop, moving towards the house. “No, but I found where he lived. Is there any other members of his clan in Uzu?” She asked. 

“No,” Fujin said. “I had a clone check the records,” 

“I figured,” Saku said. She pulsed her chakra behind her eyes, her vision improving drastically immediately. There were no one inside the house, but at least she could keep watch. 

“I have eyes on the target,” Naegi’s voice rang through the earpiece. 

“Where are you?” Fujin asked. 

“On the shortest route between the bar and the orphanage,” Naegi said. “I think you just missed him up there,” 

Saku could hear Fujin faintly swear. He really didn’t like missing things. She resisted the urge to tease him, rather settling for mapping out the house. Or maybe she should rather plan their entrance. While she wasn’t necessarily against Fujin plan about just jamming his kunai through a window or something, it was much more fun to come up with more... creative ways to approach the issue. 

She glanced down the road. Even though this was primarily a residential district, there were still a couple of vendors along the street. A particular shop caught her eye. Saku grinned, the plan already coming to life. 

This would be fun. 

\- 

Naegi had a transformed clone follow the target more closely. Every now and then the clone would change its appearance, just in case the man could catch on to him being followed. 

He trailed loosely behind on top of the roof, keeping a watch out for possible enemies. He knew the chuunin enemies weren’t to come before the next day, but he couldn’t dismiss other chuunin hopefuls from his list. Had he not been as confident in his abilities as he was, he would probably have suggested sabotage to Fujin and Saku. However, he knew they didn’t need it. 

Naegi wasn’t certain if he was lucky or not. Three swiftly thrown kunai landed just before his toes, stopping him in his tracks. He was lucky that he wasn’t the one following his target, and unlucky that his prediction of other enemies being correct. Or was that lucky? 

“You’re from the Konoha team that Haru kept blabbering about, aren’t ya?” One of the three genin asked. Naegi shrugged. 

“I don’t know about that,” he said. He knew that Haru challenged Fujin and proclaimed himself Fujin’s rival. Why did his teammates always have to get in trouble the minute he let them out of his sight? 

“You must be,” the same genin said. Naegi just shrugged again. 

“Shouldn’t you be focusing on your own exam?” Naegi asked. The genin smirked. 

“Half of the second exam’s point is to allow us to shorten the competition,” he said. “As much as a capture mission, it’s a survival exercise,” 

“Ah,” Naegi said. “It could’ve fooled me. There aren’t anything that makes me think ‘oh no! I must survive!’” 

“Do you mock us?” The genin asked. 

“I don’t know anything about you, how would I be able to mock you?” Naegi replied breezily. “Now was it anything you wanted?” 

“We’re going to kick your ass, that’s what!” The genin said. Naegi cocked his head to the side, a small smile on his face. 

“Three against one? That’s kind of unfair, isn’t it?” He asked. The genin charged towards him – only the first one, the other two stayed back. It could mean they were long range fighters – or it could mean that they wanted to let that dude get his own fight. Those two were the most likely option, though there was the chance that one of them realised that Naegi was way out of their league. But then they would probably have said something. 

Naegi waited patiently. He didn’t want to rush at things. He had recently begun to get the speed to perform the Konoha Lotus like Gai had taught him to, but the style wasn’t really his. He wasn’t actually quite sure what he wanted to do yet in that sense. But it was easy to read his ‘opponent’. 

The genin towards Naeg, aiming a punch at his face. Naegi crouched, quickly shooting his fist into the genin’s stomach. The genin flew backwards from the force. 

“Thank you, aunt Sakura,” Naegi chuckled as the genin crashed into the wall of the slightly taller building next to the one Naegi was standing on. There was luckily not a gap between the two buildings, meaning that the genin just sank to the floor rather than falling down two stories. 

“What’s your name?” Naegi asked. 

One of the teammates came rushing down towards the fallen genin. 

“It’s Shunso,” the genin said. He coughed slightly, the air having been knocked out of him. 

“Cool,” Naegi said. “And your teammates?” 

“The dude on the rooftop is Seihachi, this is Naruhiko,” Shunso beckoned to his female teammate that was currently working on getting him on his feet. 

“That reminds me!” Naegi said. “Earth Release: Bottomless Swamp!” 

Shunso and Naruhiko were quickly submerged into the now muddy ground beneath them. Naegi looked to his left to the third teammate, Seihachi, who just got knocked out by a shadow clone. The clone grabbed the boy, jumping over to Naegi and quickly tied him up. 

“Maybe you’ll get out before the time limit,” Naegi said. “But the chances of you finding your target is getting slim,” he added. “Should’ve thought of that before you attacked me,” 

\- 

“I’m telling ya, Fujin!” Saku said. “The plan is foolproof!” 

“It’s humiliating,” Fujin said. Though he did understand where Saku was coming from. He had decided to abandon watching the orphanage in favour of getting more information on their target, and was currently in Uzu’s library. The librarian was helpful, showing Fujin to the clan record section. Uzu’s records on the different clans was... very large. There were simply too many different ones. In Konoha, you could separate the clans from the major ones, like the Hyuuga, Uchiha, Nara and the minor ones, like the Kurama clan – who had once been a major clan, though their numbers had dwindled quite a lot through time. Mizuko was the youngest member, as far as Fujin knew, and her clan was just her immediate family. Saku had countless of cousins, as did Kenzo and Hitomi. Naegi and Fujin had technically both been a such ‘minor clan’ in Konoha, as the Uzumaki weren’t there anymore, scattered across the world but still a recognised clan. 

In Uzu however, you couldn’t separate the clans in the same manner, simply because yes, there was an Uchiha in Uzu, but though it’s a major clan in Konoha, it’s only one of them here. That could be said about most clans, they were few. The only clan with more members were the Uzumaki, partly because Fujin’s family was so big, and because it was the Uzumaki who heard the call to Uzu when Fujin’s dad first woke up the island again. Even if they were quite distantly related. 

“It’s not like anyone will be there to comment on it,” Saku stated, crossing her arms. “Besides, it’s not certain that you will need to do anything. I’ll still attempt to use my sharingan first,” 

Fujin sighed. He had heard worse ideas. He went briefly down the register of clan marks in the front of the book he’d found. His hand stopped when he recognized the mark from the target’s clothing. “Our target is the only member of the clan here in Uzu,” Fujin said, he flipped to the correct page. “The Kawasawa clan,” he added. “That should help your plan, shouldn’t it? Make you appear more familiar and friendly.” 

“Thanks, I’ll wait for the target to arrive and then put the plan into motion! You and Naegi should head over here soon. Maybe get some food first,” Saku suggested. 

“I don’t think we should waste too much time,” Naegi’s voice rang through their earpieces. “I was just attacked by some random genin team. I think those who didn’t get enough information to find their client has settled on attempting to stop others from passing as well,” 

“Man....” Saku whined. “I wish I could fight people rather than just sitting on a house,” 

“It’s not exactly a fun fight,” Naegi commented. “They’re genin,” 

Saku snorted. “Rank isn’t exactly a measure of strength,” she said. “We’re genin,” 

Fujin could almost feel Naegi’s eyeroll through the earpiece. “Fine,” Naegi said. “They were like... D-rank, maybe they had better jutsu hidden away, but they didn’t get the time to show them,” 

“At least they won’t get seriously hurt by fighting some other opponent who might not just restrain them like you do,” Fujin said. “I’ll send out some shadow clones to scout and keep opposing teams away from our target’s house. I don’t want them to interfere with our capture,” 

“Sounds good,” Naegi said. “I’ll head over,” 

\- 

Saku knocked on the door to the target’s house. A steaming pizza was in her hands, and she figured that even if her uniform might not be exactly correct – she had to just base it on what she could see from the pizza shop after all – it would be more than enough to fool their target. One thing she didn’t like with the infiltration styled transformation was that half the point was to not be noticed. So, you didn’t want features that would stick out, you wanted to be able to get lost in the crowd easily, to be mistaken for someone else – but Saku knew that with the transformation jutsu you could become basically anyone. Why then would you want to be boring? 

She sighed; it didn’t matter. It would fool her target, and that was enough. 

At least that was what she hoped. 

The door opened, and their target appeared in the doorway. And though Saku had seen the photo of him, she was kind of astounded when she saw him. After all, he looked pretty scary. The scar running across his face did him no favours when it came to appearing friendly. 

Saku smiled brightly. “Are you Mr. Kawasawa?” She chirped. 

“I am,” he said. “I didn’t order any pizza,” he added. Saku’s smile widened. 

“You did not, however, as a special event for the chuunin exam we decided to pick one winner for a free pizza! If you did not hear of it, don’t be concerned! This was kept entirely secret to be a much bigger surprise, very ninja like, don’t you think?” Saku exclaimed. 

Their target looked slightly taken aback. “I don’t really want pizza,” he said slowly. Was he suspicious? Already? Saku pouted. 

“But sir, I came all this way! Do you really want to waste good pizza?” She asked. The target pointed down the street towards the shop. 

“It’s like a hundred meters away,” he said. He began closing the door. Saku blocked it with the pizza box. Her sharingan activated quickly. She started focusing on her genjutsu, but before she could the target flipped the pizza up, seperating their eye contact. 

“Fujin!” Saku yelled. 

The pizza box sprung open, Fujin mid-roundhouse kick appearing out of it. His leg slammed into the side of the target, sending him flying into the house. Saku slammed the door shut behind her, making sure that no one could see the event. 

She turned to look at Fujin again before she choked on her own laughter. 

“Saku!” Fujin said. “You need to put him under, he’s still conscious,” he moved to restrain the target for Saku, but she just couldn’t help laughing more. 

Fujin looked up at her, frowning. “What?” He asked. 

Saku lifted her shaking hand, withholding her laughter as she pointed to his head. Just on top, stuck to his hair, was a single slice of pizza. Fujin brought his hand up, now understanding what she was so distracted by. Fujin grimaced. 

“That’s disgusting. I should never have agreed to this,” Fujin said. 

“You two should hurry. Someone heard the commotion and seems to be running to alert security,” Naegi’s voice rang through the earpiece. Fujin sighed. 

“Come on,” he said, waving Saku over again. The target was struggling against Fujin, but unable to break out of his grip. Saku figured Fujin had already placed a paralysis seal on him, so how he was still able to move was beyond her. 

She carefully brought the target’s face up, forcing him to meet her gaze. With a surge of chakra, his eyes briefly reflected hers before he stopped struggling. And then he fell asleep with a thud. 

“Alright, I’ll seal him. It won’t take too long, but you should probably make sure nobody comes inside. Transform into this guy here in case someone knocks on the door,” Fujin said. Saku nodded, quickly changing her appearance before she went to sit on the couch. Fujin peered up. 

“You not going to keep watch?” He asked. 

“It’s not the natural thing to do,” Saku replied. 

“Neither is having a kid sealing an unconscious copy of yourself in your living room,” Fujin countered. 

“Two chuunin heading our way. We need to hurry,” Naegi said. 

Fujin returned to his sealing work. Saku stood up from the couch. She began to clean up the pieces of pizza that had been scattered around the room. It didn’t seem so cool to mess up his house like this and then not do anything about it. 

“The chuunin are just a block away, what’s your status?” Naegi asked. He definitely sounded more stressed now. 

“Almost there,” Fujin said. “Naegi, can you send a clone and distract them? It should buy us enough time,” he added. 

“Will do,” Naegi said. 

Saku was looking around the room, taking in the different pictures and artifacts. This guy had definitely been some travelling mercenary. He had a variety of weapons decorating his wall, as well as some beautiful pictures from different locations. She wondered when he had decided to leave that life and come to Uzu. He hadn’t even registered as a ninja here, he just put it all away and decided to volunteer at an orphanage and do a bit of gardening. He didn’t seem bad at it either, with all the flowers that were around the room. 

A small blinking light caught her attention. She went over to a flower pot, cocking her head to the side as her gaze was met by a camera. 

“Fujin? Do you think it’s bad that we’re being watched?” She asked. 

Fujin didn’t even look up from his sealing. “It’s probably how the proctors watch how we do things. There are probably cameras around the entire village right now. Considering that the chuunin didn’t appear immediately, they’re not using it to stop us. Though it could also be that this guy is just paranoid,” he said with a small shrug. 

“oh,” Saku said. “Okay then,” she added. She gave the camera a little wave. 

“My distraction isn’t working anymore,” Naegi said. “Are you done?” 

Fujin didn’t reply immediately. He ran his brush over the man’s face, before running through a series of signs. With a pop of smoke, the man disappeared into the scroll on the floor. Fujin quickly closed it. 

“There, we’re ready,” he said. He and Saku quickly left the house, just in time to see the two chuunin guards rounding the corner. 

“Scatter!” Fujin hissed. 

He jumped up to the rooftop, while Saku bolted down the street. She figured that she could get lost somewhere in the crowd rather than going up the shinobi way like Fujin did. However, she did kind of stand out anyway, sprinting through the masses. 

“Lose those who are tailing you before you head towards the safehouse,” Naegi said. “We don’t need to get trouble when we’re outside of the city – it will make it harder to lose them,” 

“If anything, at least we can also go all out when we’re not in the city,” Fujin pointed out. “Here there will be too much collateral damage,” 

“Lose the people, don’t kill anyone, got it,” Saku said. She activated her eyes. There was one chuunin tailing her, the other one probably went after Fujin. She could briefly see Naegi take a detour towards the safehouse at the edge of her vision. 

It was hard to focus when Uzu was such a big city, and now there were so many more tourists than normal who were here to watch the exam. Especially since Uzu had so many civilians who were retired ninja, so they all had pretty big chakra levels. It made it hard to separate who were going to catch them or at least attempt to, and who were just civilians. 

Well, the best way to lose these people was probably not just to run. 

She grabbed a smoke bomb from her pouch, throwing into the ground. The bomb exploded, covering the entire street in thick smoke. She created a shadow clone, sending it sprinting down the road. She swiftly transformed back into some random civilian, moving away slightly so that she was standing closer to a food vendor. 

When the smoke cleared, she acted as surprised and slightly worried as everyone else there. She might not be the best actor there was, but she was at least adequate. Infiltrations were something she was kind of good at, and she wasn’t going to let a perfect disguise be ruined by bad acting. 

The chuunin saw the clone running down and didn’t even spare Saku a glance before he tailed after it. Saku tried not to look too smug. She was on point with her plans today. 

\- 

Naegi was the first to arrive at the safehouse. He figured the other two would join him sooner rather than later, but they did have people tailing them. 

In the meanwhile, there was nothing he could really do – he didn’t have the target, and he wasn’t exactly the best at setting traps either. It just wasn’t something he had the patience for, nor did he feel like he needed traps when he could create weapons out of pure chakra. 

It wasn’t a sentiment shared by his teacher though, so he was at least somewhat familiar with the basic traps. 

But basic wasn’t what they needed here in the exam. Naegi didn’t realy know how to use something that simple in a way that would actually be helpful here. He knew that Kenji had tried to teach him multi-layered traps, that even the basics would be lethal if they had enough backups. 

But Naegi didn’t want to bring out huge ass logs on the off-chance that his maybe opponents would trip over the wire. It felt like a waste of energy. 

But for appearances sake, he would lay some down. Saku had mentioned that they were being observed. And he didn’t really have anything better to do. A few paper bombs here and there would be good. He marked nearby trees with a little code that the team had decided on. Or rather, they had been told by Kenji that having a marker for where you would lay the traps would prevent your teammates from running into them and losing one of their arms. Or, the arm, in Fujin’s case. 

Once he was satisfied he’d made a nice set up, he headed back to the entrance to the safehouse. It was a building in a forest on the outskirts of the city. Not somewhere you’d stumble upon accidentally, so he doubted there would be any enemy teams coming here. Unless they had the byakugan, which in that case would either be Hitomi or Kenzo’s team, but he doubted they would go out of their way to start a fight. 

At least Hitomi wouldn’t, she didn’t like unnecessary fighting. Though it would’ve been nice if she was here as company. 

Kenzo on the other hand seemed to forget sometimes that Naegi, Fujin and Saku were way out of their league. He’d probably love to pick a fight if he came across them. However, he wouldn’t seek them out when he had his teammates to keep his head clear and his own mission to fulfil. 

Naegi sat down on the grass, stretching his senses as far as he could to see if he could pick up on any signatures. 

One of the things about sensing was the common misconception that only sensor type ninjas could do it. Sure, it took some practice to be able to reach out with your chakra without emptying your reserves, but it wasn’t impossible. However, it was mostly only high level chuunin and jonin who actually practiced it, and even that was only to a slight degree. Enough to sense someone in the immediate area, though they generally were only able to sense people who weren’t concealing their signature. 

Though to be fair, they often thought that a ninja was most commonly only able to use one elemental chakra, two at best. However, most kage were able to use all five, and it’s not like the kage were the only people who were able to – a kage didn’t become a kage because they were meant to be but because they trained for it, and if everyone trained as diligently, then they too, would be able to use the elements. Except for the bloodline limit ones. 

Probably, the reason why this ‘you only know this or that element’ line of thought came from the affinities. The affinity for an element just made it easier to learn it, not impossible to learn the others. 

Though it was difficult to master all elements, if it was even possible. Focusing on one might be the best way to get really strong jutsu. Though it did make you somewhat predictable. 

That was apparently enough thinking for Naegi, because Saku’s excited yell shook him out of his thoughts. 

“Finally!” She said with a huff. “Nobody told me the specific directions to this place,” 

“You have the byakugan,” Naegi deadpanned. “You can see us from anywhere on this island,” 

“It’s harder now! There are so many people here!” Saku whined. She sat down next to Naegi with a thud, resting her head against his shoulder. 

“Fujin have a literal demon in his gut, aren’t you able to see it?” Naegi asked. Saku shook her head. 

“It only shows when he’s using it’s chakra. Otherwise he’d be all demon eyed and feral all the time,” she said. Naegi hummed. That did make sense. 

“Though both you and him have really big reserves, and I have memorized your signatures, but there are a lot of Uzumaki here – and family have somewhat similar signatures. Besides, Fujin has a ton of shadow clones running around the place. I think they’re distraction teams,” she said. 

“That does sound like Fujin,” Naegi agreed. “He’s probably gonna be here soon,” 

Saku hummed. “He better, he’s the one who has the target,” she said. She glanced at Naegi. “Why haven’t you gone inside anyway? Isn’t it ‘tactically smarter’ to be inside?” She asked. 

Naegi shrugged. “I like to be able to see what’s going on. Not everyone has x-ray vision,” 

“Fair enough,” Saku said. 

Their earpieces made a slight noise, the two of them stood up quickly, readying themselves. 

“I’ve got company,” Fujin’s voice sounded through the earpiece. “Actually, that sounds like pleasant, I’ve got like a team of genin, and some random chuunin they brought with them calling _me_ a criminal,” 

“How the – why?” Naegi asked, sighing deeply. 

“Well,” Fujin paused. “It’s nothing really... I’ll spare you the details,” he said slowly. 

“No, you won’t,” Naegi said. “You’re explaining-” 

Naegi’s rant was rudely interrupted by Fujin shooting out from the treetops, turning around the moment he hit the ground and held a kunai in front of him defensively. 

One team followed out through the forest right after, standing at the edge of the clearing. Within a blink of an eye, three chuunin flickered next to them. 

“It’s him!” One of the Kiri genin said, pointing at Fujin. “He tried to kidnap that poor old man!” 

“It’s your fucking target! It’s not my fault that his house was conveniently placed for my escape!” Fujin yelled back. 

Once upon a time, Fujin had been a silent, thinking type. He didn’t have emotional outbursts; he was always planning and being really smart on how to do things. 

What had happened? Naegi didn’t know. Though Fujin did still have his moments. 

All he knew, was that for once in his life Fujin had to relearn how to shut up. 

He just made himself sound more guilty by yelling back at the opposing team. Speaking of, said team continued shouting accusations. 

The chuunin that had followed seemed mildly confused – perhaps even sort of entertained by the scene in front of them. They did of course know about the exam, otherwise the Kiri team would already be dead. (One didn’t just let foreign shinobi run around fighting another team of foreign shinobi in the middle of the city, after all.) 

“Let’s fight!” Saku did her attempt on a good battle cry, rushing at the genin team. 

“Oi, Saku-” Fujin tried his best to get between Saku and her would-be victims, but to no avail. She dodged under his arms and sprinted towards the poor Kiri nin. 

Naegi sighed again. He slammed his foot down on the ground, golden chains sprouting out underneath two of the Kiri genin, wrapping them tight in his chains. The one he left out was the one Saku was running towards. 

(She got so upset when they took her intended target. It was better to let her have it.) 

He made a valiant attempt to block Saku’s punch. But, she activated her eyes moments before she struck him, sending a series of strikes at his tenketsu points. His arms went limp quickly. Before he’d even registered that his arms were useless, Saku grabbed his shoulders and forced him down, slamming her knee upwards. 

He was unconscious before he hit the ground. 

“Okiwa!” The girl on their team exclaimed. She struggled against the chains. Saku turned towards her, her pale eyes probably scarring this girl for life. 

Naegi turned to Fujin, who’d gone quiet after Saku had engaged them. Naegi stared for a few seconds before the dots connected. He had been goading them into an attack. His plan had been interrupted by Saku engaging first. But why hadn’t he attacked them himself? 

Saku’s yelp turned his attention back. One of the chuunin had grabbed Saku’s arm and thrown her away as if she weighed nothing. 

Naegi stared for a moment before one of the other chuunin – a woman with long red hair – rushed towards him. Naegi braced himself for an oncoming punch. The chuunin’s fist crashed into his block. Naegi tried not to show the pain he felt from the impact. She punched _hard_. 

Another lightbulb went off in his head. With his concentration broken, the chains had disappeared. Freeing the Iwa genin. The fled the scene with their unconscious teammate. Hadn’t they come here to fight? 

Ah, wait. 

Fujin was the ‘criminal’. They had been pursuing him and hadn’t attacked first. When Saku went and attacked one of the genin, it made them look even more guilty. Fujin had been baiting them to fight first so that the chuunin wouldn’t think that they actually were guilty. But since Saku had gone ahead and fought the genin, the chuunin decided to attack them. 

Naegi frowned. If he’d been faster to understand this, he would’ve made sure that Saku hadn’t moved. 

He supposed Fujin hadn’t turned all dumb. 

Suddenly, thick vines sprung out underneath his feet, wrapping them tightly together. The vines continued to grow up until his torso, his arms stuck to his chest. It was just barely that they didn’t constrict his breathing. 

“Fujin, can you lend me a hand instead of just standing there?” Naegi said, his voice growing slightly louder with worry as the chuunin went through a series of signs. 

A blur came from Fujin’s direction, crashing into the chuunin and interrupting her weaving of signs. She let out a shriek as she looked at what had hit her. 

… 

… 

It was his arm. 

“Fujin!” Naegi yelled. “You know how hard those are to get attached!” 

\-- 

In the jonin lounge, Sasaki Kenji watched as his students faced off three chuunin. The other Konoha jonin teachers were sitting with him, watching their individual screens of the exam with their betting pool on the table between them. The other jonin being Sarutobi Konohamaru, Uchiha Sakumo and Uzumaki Yuki. 

“Your team is actually crazy, Kenji,” Konohamaru said with a laugh. “I’m not sure whether to be jealous or relieved that I didn’t get them. It’s a shame they got so far to only be stopped by actual chuunin though. The time limit before the actual pursuers come hasn’t even arrived yet,” 

Kenji glanced at Konohamaru from the corner of his eye. “They’ll be fine,” he said. 

“Your student just threw his arm off,” Konohamaru stated dryly. 

“It happens,” Kenji sighed. “They’ll be able to fight off these chuunin.” 

Yuki watched the screen with complete concentration. Her own team had yet to make a move towards their target, but Kenji knew that the Nara had something planned. Instead of keeping watch of them, Yuki watched her son struggle against the restraints. 

“The three of them sure have grown under your tutelage, Kenji,” she said softly. 

“It wasn’t just me,” Kenji said. “I sent them to a variety of teachers to best cover their strength and weaknesses,” he explained. Yuki hummed. 

“But you did know what they need,” she said. “I’m curious as to why you didn’t want to train them by yourself?” She asked. 

Kenji had wanted to train them alone first. He'd actually been really excited, even if he would never show it. The three of them weren’t snot-nosed brats who knew nothing like most people who left the academy. They were already shinobi, just needing a guiding hand. 

But their enemy was so painfully clear. Most of the time, you could spend a long period on training your genin the fundamentals and watch as they grew to find what skills they needed or wanted – to find their own path. However, Team 7 would face Orochimaru sooner rather than later. They didn’t have the luxury of time. They didn’t need fundamental training, or at least not so much of it anyway. They needed training that would bring them to new levels, and Kenji couldn’t do that alone. 

It wouldn’t be fair to them to keep them for himself. 

Besides, he still had a lot he could teach them when they did train together. They just had to train more than others. 

“They need more,” Kenji answered. And though the answer seemed weird to the others present, it was clear to Yuki. 

“I suppose so,” she said. Kenji noted the slight dark look in her eyes. 

He couldn’t imagine what she was feeling. Knowing what her son had gone through. What he would be going through. 

There had never been a question of ‘if’ with these three. It was a question of ‘when’. And Kenji would make damn sure they were ready for it. 

\-- 

Saku was knocked into a tree, the chuunin who had thrown her into said tree was walking towards her. Naegi was restrained, his opponent was staring at Fujin’s prosthetic. The remaining chuunin was observing, and Fujin was staring right back at him. 

Fujin sighed. 

“Saku, Naegi,” he said. “This isn’t the time to fool around,” 

Saku huffed, sitting up. There was a twig in her ponytail, not really helping her seem like a professional. Not that the pout she was sporting was any better. 

“I’m not,” Saku said. “He just got me by surprise, that’s all,” she added. She stood up, brushing off the dirt of her clothes. 

“Being restrained is hardly called fooling around,” Naegi stated. “And you’re the one who threw your arm! How is that not fooling around?” 

“I’m not saying that I wasn’t!” Fujin replied. His eyes were still trained on the last chuunin. “It’s just that we might have attracted the wrong person,” he said more seriously. “Isn’t that right, brother?” 

The remaining chuunin stared blankly at Fujin for a moment, before he grinned. He went up in smoke, before it revealed the true person behind the transformation. It was Minato – not the grandpa, but the one named after him. 

“Fujin!” Minato whined. “How did you know?” 

“I can sense my teleportation mark on your vest,” Fujin stated. 

“You marked me? You brat!” Minato said. He tried to look over his shoulder in an attempt to see the mark – which was silly, because one couldn’t see the mark he placed on people. 

“It’s not like I was going to teleport to you whenever I wanted,” Fujin stated. “It’s if you run low on chakra, or you get lost, which happens quite frequently,” 

“You little shit, this is the perfect opportunity to kick your ass,” Minato hissed. Fujin glanced over to Naegi. 

“I think we should take this inside, actually,” Fujin said. Whipped out a set of shuriken, throwing them with a flick of his wrist at Naegi’s restraints. The vines became weak enough that Naegi managed to push out of them with a yell. 

He created a single golden chain, wrapping it around Saku before he pulled her towards him. Saku barelled into the chuunin that had attacked Naegi with full force, knocking the chuunin out. 

“What was that for?!” She shouted. Naegi released her from the chain quickly, letting Saku jump to her feet. 

“We go inside,” Naegi whispered. “Total immunity,” 

Saku didn’t reply, she just nodded. 

Saku created two shadow clones, sending them rushing towards the chuunin that had thrown her. The two clones. 

“Wind Style: Breakthrough!” 

“Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!” 

At first glance, one of Saku’s clones just sent out one fireball. It wasn’t much bigger than a small boulder, however, the wind style jutsu powered it up, making it much bigger in size – even similar to the great fireball jutsu. Then, the fireball split into multitudes. They volley of fire crashed around the field, causing a series of small explosions of fire. 

Saku and Naegi ran to the safehouse, just barely seeing Fujin create his own two clones. 

Fujin took one step back along with one clone. He grinned, his eyes illuminated by the fire. 

“Wind Style: Gale palm!” Fujin and his clone exclaimed. The second clone jumped into the air, being shot forward by Fujin’s combined gale palm. 

In the flying clone’s palm, a nearly glowing rasengan formed. It shot through the fire, leaving behind a spinning tunnel. It allowed the three to watch as the clone aimed the rasengan towards Minato. 

Minato jumped out of the way, tripping over his own feet. Fujin turned around, quickly running after Naegi and Saku into the safehouse. As the door shut closed behind them, they heard Minato’s annoyed cry. 

“Fight me fair and square!” He shouted. 

“I’ll deal with ya later!” Fujin shouted back. “I’m busy!” 

Fujin shared a look with Naegi and Saku before the three burst out laughing. They had made it through the second stage. 

“I think you gotta release the target first, Fujin,” Naegi said slowly. 

“Oh shit, I forgot!” 

\-- 

It took an hour before Mr. Kawasawa woke up. 

“Wha-” Mr. Kawasawa said slowly. He looked around him wearily, before he blinked in surprise. 

“We’re at the safehouse,” Naegi said. He had already checked Mr. Kawasawa for any injuries that could’ve occurred. He would suffer nothing from their kidnapping. 

“I can see that,” Mr. Kawasawa said. He chuckled, giving them a slightly bashful smile as he stood up. “You three are really something else,” he said. 

“We’re the number one unpredictable team!” Saku said grinning and crossed her arms proudly. 

“I agree,” he chuckled. “Well then, congratulations on making it this far. You only have one part left of the second exam,” he said. 

“There’s another part?” Fujin asked. 

“Yes,” Mr. Kawasawa replied. “You have to make your way to Storm’s Arena,” 

“But that’s on the other side of the nation,” Fujin groaned. 

“You say that as if Uzu is a very big place,” Naegi chuckled. 

“It’s on the _sea_ Naegi. The only thing connecting it to the mainland is this huge bridge that’s at least like a kilometre long. It’s so looong,” Fujin complained. 

“At least there isn’t going to be anyone else there yet,” Naegi said. “If we’re fast, we can get there before anyone decides to sabotage the bridge or anything like that,” he added. 

“Besides,” Saku chimed. “We keep getting into trouble so we shouldn’t waste too much time,” 

“You’re half the reason we get in trouble,” Fujin huffed. (Fujin was generally the other half.)

Saku just shrugged rather than replying. He wasn’t wrong. 

\-- 

To say the bridge was huge even felt like an understatement. 

Naegi could barely see Storm’s Arena in the distance. Waves crashed into the bridge, sending a spray of water over it so the bridge was almost constantly wet. You could clearly see the massive whirlpool that surrounded Uzu, and the ones between the main island and the arena were particularly aggressive. 

“Who decided this was a good idea?” Naegi asked. 

“Well,” Fujin sighed. “My Dad wanted to build the arena over a whirlpool ‘cos he thought it would look cool, basically. And then he contacted the only architect that he knew, and the two of them looked at the whirlpools around Uzu and decided that the biggest one – which is the one all the way over there – was the only whirlpool great enough to build over. It didn’t help that this architect is primarily a bridge builder, or at least he was,” Fujin said. “He built the... Great Kaiza bridge, the one connecting the Land of Wave to the mainland,” 

“Wasn’t that the mission our parents had?” Saku asked. 

“Ah,” Fujin said. “You’re right,” he said. He looked back at Saku, who was looking around herself in awe. He hadn’t quite figured she’d be the one to remember their parents’ missions. 

Storm’s Arena was both an intimidating structure, and yet a place many people found really really cool. 

Uzu generally hosted tournaments during the different festivals it hosted where any shinobi could compete. The entire arena was surrounded by whirlpools, and more often than not it was extremely strong winds there. It also seemed to rain there more than elsewhere. 

And had it just been arena, it would probably seem like a place with a quite serious atmosphere. However, right in front of Storm’s Arena was the plaza. 

And the plaza was essentially a marketplace. 

It was there where most people made their bets, it was where they bought merchandize, be it ninja cards or banners they could use to cheer for whoever they wished. And the plaza generally started to open up long before any tournament took place. 

This meant that it was bustling with people. 

“We just gotta make our way through,” Fujin mumbled to his teammates. He did not trust anyone in the marketplace at this moment. They just had to make it through the plaza to pass the second exam, and he was not going to let his guard down right at the end. 

He kept a reasonable distance from everyone as far as he could, making sure that he didn’t lost Naegi or Saku in the crowd. Which was easier said than done. 

“Saku!” Naegi yelled after her. “We’re not going to go shopping for decorations now!” 

“But look at this!” Saku shouted back over the noise of the crowd. 

“Saku!” 

“But-” 

“No!” 

Saku came back with a dejected grimace. “It’s not like we’re running out of time,” she huffed. 

“I doubt that the second stage will start right away,” Fujin said. “There is so much left of the second stage anyway, so many teams might not arrive until tomorrow or later. They’ll probably let us go back out here if you want to look for more stuff. Or we can just head here once the exam is over,” he continued, grabbing Saku’s hand to not let her wander off. 

They entered the arena entrance hall. A quite magnificent looking place. There were a few receptions where people would buy tickets and the like before a tournament, but other than that it was a place where people could mingle before the events. There was a huge window at the other side of the hall, showing the arena itself. It was a sleek stone platform, supported by strong pillars. Around it, the whirlpool Storm’s Arena was built on raged. One could see the intricate sealing array that protected the pillars from the wear and tear the constant waves would’ve caused to any normal pillar. The arena was surrounded by the spectator area. From the window, you could see the kage box clearly on the opposite side. The six chairs seemed perfectly regal, even as they were far away and empty. Fujin hummed. 

He’d sit there one day. 

Though, the entrance hall was completely empty save for their team and three others. 

Aki, Tsuru and Akahiko. 

“Brother,” Fujin greeted. He and his teammates walked up to the proctors. “I’ll assume you’re the third proctor,” 

Akahiko smiled at them. “You assume correctly,” he said. “Congratulations on making it here,” 

“Was there any doubt?” Fujin asked. Akahiko shrugged. 

“You could’ve gotten distracted,” he said. 

“I’m not Minato,” Fujin countered. 

“What about that one time -” 

“Can I leave?” Fujin asked Tsuru, ignoring Akahiko completely. 

“Hey!” Akahiko said, knocking Fujin on the head. He then turned his attention to Saku and Naegi. 

“You couldn’t have made him more reasonable?” Akahiko asked them. Naegi and Saku shared glances. 

“I want to go and buy stuff in the plaza,” Saku said. “Do we have to do anything else?” 

Akahiko cleared his throat, gaining Fujin’s attention again. “Congratulations on passing the second exam,” he said. “The third phase won’t start until the rest of the examinees are here, in the meanwhile, you will stay in the competitor rooms that lie beneath the spectator's area. Just go down the stairs on either side of this hall. Your room number is one. You’re free to go to the plaza, but you cannot leave Storm’s Arena,” Akahiko explained. 

“Lame,” Fujin sighed. “I wanted to check on Sumire,” 

“Show a little respect, Fujin. This is an important exam,” Akahiko sighed. 

Fujin shrugged. 

“I want to check on Sumire too!” Saku said. “And two whole days here? Can we train? Where can we train?” she asked. 

“There is no training space for you,” Akahiko said. “And please do not use any jutsu inside the building,” 

“Lame,” Saku mumbled. 

\- 

They did, in fact, not stay in Storm’s Arena. 

Nobody noticed that they left because they left behind shadow clones with some Neat fuinjutsu on it. But they would never say that. 

And though the Nara clan back in Konoha would be somewhat surprised to find that a large order of items from Uzu had been delivered to them as no one was home at Saku’s address, no one in Uzu was aware of the little monster having made her way around to buy decorations. 


	25. Third Exam: Preliminaries

The time limit for the second exam was over. 

Out of the  forty-nine teams that had entered the exam, only seven remained.

Saku, Fujin and  Naegi were standing in one single file, along with the six other teams on their sides. They were all lined up inside Storm’s Arena.  Everyone was quiet, the only sound as the teams waited for  Akahiko’s instructions was the rush of water underneath them. Saku  couldn't see it, but she knew there was that huge whirlpool underneath them. 

“I can’t believe Hana and her team didn’t make it,” Saku whispered. Fujin, who was standing between her and Naegi, turned around.

“I can’t believe that we have three teams out of seven from Konoha,” he said. “I expected that Arima and them would make it, but I wasn’t so certain about the rest.” Fujin yelped as he slapped his own face. Fujin turned to glare at Shikao, who was standing next to him. Or at least in a sense, there was at least a meter between each team. 

“Don’t think so little of us,”  Shikao stated with a huff. Fujin shrugged.

“It’s not that I doubt your abilities,” Fujin said. “I just hadn’t expected you to grow in strength this quickly.” 

Shikao snorted. “That is doubting our  abilities , dumbass,” he said. 

Naegi turned around from the front to glare at them. “Be quiet,” he hissed. “ Akahiko is going to speak.” He turned back around, straightening his back. 

Saku saw Fujin roll his eyes. “Oh great,” Fujin drawled. “Big brother needs attention.”

Saku  tried not to laugh, but a small snort did escape her. She turned to her other side, seeing Arima and his team stand in a perfect line. They had been the  third team to arrive, the  Uzu team with that Haru guy being the second. 

To say that he was pissed Fujin got there first was an understatement, but it was all in good rivalry. Or at least that’s what Saku thought. 

“Congratulations on passing the second part of the  chuunin exam,”  Akahiko said.  His voice rang loud and clear across the arena. Was that a type of sealing  jutsu ? Or perhaps just a regular one? Saku wasn’t exactly the one to judge, but at least she could hear him perfectly well. “As many of you might have guessed, the third exam is as tradition would have it a tournament,” Akahiko watched all of them with a careful eye.

“ However ...”  Akahiko made a gesture to the rest of the arena, the pure size of it all  beign what he brought into focus. “This stad ium will be filled to the brim with not only  the  kage , but also  feudual lords and important nobles who hire shinobi. The exam is also broadcasted, showing your skills across the entire content,” he said. He pointed  to the team in the middle. “So, we’re going to hold a preliminary tournament right now,” he said with a grin. 

“That’s not fair!” A  K umo genin shouted. “We’ve already been in battle and are exhausted – besides, you said we already passed the second part!” 

Akahiko stared at the  genin with calm eyes. He didn’t  actually seem to care about the kid’s outburst at all. In fact, Saku felt like he was just  sorta ignoring the  Kumo  genin . Then,  Akahiko took a step forward. He narrowed his eyes slightly, and the sky almost seemed to darken with it. The atmosphere that  Akahiko emitted – Saku hadn’t quite felt anything like it. It wasn’t based on fear, it wasn’t killer intent, but it was an aura that commanded respect. 

She hadn’t quite realized how powerful  Akahiko actually was. 

“If you had been faster completing your task, you would have had plenty of time to rest,”  Akahiko said. “But rather,” he  paused for a few seconds. “Do you think that an enemy won’t attack you because you’re tired? You think that the mission can just be put on hold because you’re tired?”  Akahiko walked towards the Kumo team, and the genin who spoke up. 

“What enemy?” The  genin asked, stopping  Akahiko in his path. “We’re in a time of peace – there are no enemies!”

Akahiko scoffed. Saku wasn’t entirely sure if this was appropriate proctor behaviour, but  she wasn’t about to say anything about that. 

“The enemy is coming,”  Akahiko said. He quickly glanced in Saku and the team’s direction, and she felt something clench inside her. 

Akahiko swiftly turned around, walking back to a respectful distance between the team. He gave them a smile, if it was confident, encouraging, or just pure sadistic – Saku didn’t know. 

“There will be prelims, if you feel like dropping out, feel free to do so. Your decision will not affect your teammates, but you won’t be able to progress to the final exam,”  Akahiko explained. He looked over the  genin once again, waiting for anyone to say anything.

Five people raised their hands. Two from the Kumo team – not the boy who had spoken, two from the  Iwa team and one  genin from  Suna . It see med to be barely any foreign shinobi left. But to be fair, the  genin who had raised their hands looked ready to drop. They had certainly fought hard against the  chuunin pursuers from the second exam. If anything, Saku was certain that they would pro bably succeed on their next exam, which was quite a feat. A lot of people had to retake the exam several  times, or waited to take it after having a few years of experience. Or at least that was what Fujin had told her once when he went off on his ‘info blabbering’ sessions. 

“Is that all?”  Akahiko asked. Silence was his reply. “Very well,” he said. “The five of you may leave, there are a few medic  nin in the entrance hall that can treat any wounds you may have. If not, you’re free to wander the village. You can also watch the matches from the spectator area.” 

The  genin who forfeited left the arena, and the two  genin from  Iwa and Kumo seemed quite nervous now, without the support of their teammates. Saku hoped for their sakes that the teammates at least stayed to watch. She wouldn’t have wanted to be completely alone in this. She glanced up to the spectator area when she noticed a few figures in the stands. 

Was that the  jonin instructors? She narrowed her eyes slightly. That sure did look like Kenji’s expressionless face. They were probably here to watch the matches. 

“Please direct your attention to the screens,”  Akahiko said. He gestured towards one of the huge screens on the arena wall. In a tournament, this screen was used to announce both the competitors’ names and to give the audience a closer look on the battle.  She had always found it easier to pay attention to them to get that dramatic feeling of an action movie, but it didn’t have the same authenticity as watching the battle itself, even if it was a little bit far away too see any facial expressions. 

The screens lit up, and in the centre, it simply stood ‘vs’. Above and beneath that, the screen suddenly seemed to scroll through the different names there. 

(How they had been so quick to note down who surrendered and who didn’t Saku didn’t know, but damn did she admire those tech guys a little bit more.)

“First match,”  Akahiko said. “Uzumaki  Naegi against  Sabaku no Natsu,” 

Saku stared at  Naegi who took a single step forward. He didn’t turn around to look at them. She wasn’t sure if that was because he was nervous, or if it was because he was focused. Though she hoped it was the latter.

“The rest of you may go to the competitors’ box,”  Akahiko said. 

Fujin went up to  Naegi and placed his fist on  Naegi’s shoulder. He didn’t say anything, and simply moved on. Saku supposed that was just how Fujin said good luck in this situation. She, however, jumped on Naegi’s back.

“You better not lose,  ya know!” She exclaimed.

Naegi snorted. “I wasn’t planning to,” he said. He pushed Saku off him, urging her towards the competitors’ box. “Now get out of here before I kick your ass while I’m at it,” 

“You wish!” Saku stuck her tongue out at him, before she jogged after Fujin. 

The competitors’ box was quite  large, and had huge windows to let everyone watch the matches as well. She sat down on a bench in front of the window, Fujin leaning against the wall next to her. He had his arms crossed, though he was tapping his finger.

“Are you nervous for him?” Saku asked. Fujin shook his head.

“Something bothered me about what  Akahiko said,” he explained. “About the enemy coming.”

Saku frowned. She didn’t feel right about it either, but she didn’t really want to mull it over.

“I’m sure it’s nothing,” she said. “Let’s just focus on  Naegi kicking that guy’s butt!” She exclaimed, punching her fist into the air with a grin. 

Fujin chuckled, sitting down next to her. “I think he’s going to have a little bit of trouble with Natsu,” Fujin said. 

“Who was that guy again anyway?” Saku asked. She remembered him being there on the day they arri ved, and that he and Fujin seemed pretty close. 

“ Sabaku no Natsu,” Fujin said. “He’s the son of  Gaara , one of my Dad’s closest comrades,” Fujin explained. “He uses the same sand techniques as his father though he can’t control as much. Though Natsu’s sand is much faster than his father ’s, and he hasn’t limited himself to that type of  jutsu alone – the  Uzu academy doesn’t believe that you should only master one thing, sort of similarly to how we have been trained,” Fujin explained. He smiled  excitedly, and it did look sorta creepy. “Though the interesting thing is that in our parents’  chuunin exam, Aunt Yuki fought  Gaara in the final, so this match is almost like a rematch between the two of them.”

“That’s cool,” Saku said. She wasn’t quite sure if she understood everything, but she got the gist of it. Aunt Yuki fought Natsu’s dad, and now Natsu was fighting Naegi. 

The most notable thing about Natsu was probably the  large gourd he was carrying on his back. It seemed ancient, and Saku wasn’t entirely sure if she considered it the best aesthetic. Maybe some neon paint would do it some good. 

Naegi and Natsu stood on opposite sides of the arena.  Akahiko was standing in the middle of them, but on the far edge as well. It gave the two opponents a clear view of each other. 

“Start!” 

Naegi jumped a few meters backwards, putting some distance between himself and Natsu. Natsu didn’t move a muscle, he just stared at  Naegi .  It was slightly off putting. 

Neither of them made a move in the next minute.  Both of them seemed to wait for the other to make a move. Saku tried not to voice her opinion on it. She really did.

She failed.

“ Naegi !” She shouted. “Stop wasting time and kick his ass!” 

Fortunately for  Naegi , Saku’s yell could not interrupt his focus. Unfortunately for everyone else in the competitor’s box, the ir ears were not protective from Saku’s loud voice. 

Fujin seemed to be the only competitor who didn’t bat an eye on it, and he was the one closest to her. 

Naegi shifted his weight, stepping into the opening stance of the Strong Fist style. 

“Is he actually considering using  taijutsu ?” Fujin muttered under his breath. Saku frowned. She wasn’t sure if  Naegi knew that his opponent was a sand user . She wasn’t sure if there was a specific good way of defeating one anyway. Like, they were strong long range, but they could also slow down their opponents and bury them alive, or something like that. At least that was what she imagined they could do, she’d not really p aid attention on her class about the traditions in Suna. 

She hadn’t really paid attention at all. 

“Is it bad to use  taijutsu ?” Saku asked. She sure hoped not. Not that she was fighting the sand user herself, because  Naegi would win without a doubt, but it was nice to know anyway.

Fujin shook his head. “Not really,” he said. “It’s just...  Naegi is much stronger long range than he is with his  taijutsu . Especially since we have limited training with the Strong Fist style as well,” Fujin explained. 

Saku hummed. She supposed that did make sense. 

Before she could ask another question,  Naegi shot forwards. A wall of sand erupted between him and Natsu. However,  Naegi did not change his course. He ran through a series of hand signs.

“Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!”  Naegi exclaimed. A blast of wind crashed into the sand, blowing a large hole in Natsu’s defence.  Naegi went straight throug h the hole, continuing his charge towards Natsu. 

Natsu’s wall of sand broke apart, creating multiple small bullets of sand that shot towards  Naegi .  Naegi switfly jumped into the air, spinning slightly as he dodged the bullets.  He landed again on the ground,  quickly beginning to run again. 

However, Natsu’s sand was relentless. Rather than just flying away and crashing into the wall like any normal  jutsu , the bullets of sand just turned around and went back to attack  Naegi . They met  Naegi head on, forcing him to stop in his tracks.

“Earth Style: Mud wall!” 

A wall of rock  rose in front of Naegi, protecting him from the sand closest to him. However, Natsu quickly manipulated his other bullets to move around the wall. 

Saku withheld a gasp as four bullets of sand crashed into the backside of the wall, clouding the area slightly.  Naegi had taken that hit straight on, and though she knew that he would heal from it, it wouldn’t protect him from actually getting hurt. 

But when the dust settled, Naegi was nowhere to be seen. 

Then, four golden chains shot up from the ground around Natsu, swiftly spinning around him before they had him completely chained down. 

Naegi came up from the ground in a similar manner, standing behind Natsu with a kunai in hand.

“Surrender,”  Naegi said. Natsu did not reply, however, Saku could barely see him smirk. 

Natsu’s face crumpled into sand, and quickly the entire body was gone. 

“ No,” Natsu said. He appeared from the sand that laid on the arena floor right where  Naegi’s earth wall was. He raised his arms, a large amount of sand escaping from the gourd on his back . The sand stretched out, and as it floated in the air it mimicked that of a wave that had yet to crash into land. 

Naegi took a deep breath, readying himself.

Then, the sand came rushing towards him like a tidal wave.  Naegi clapped his hands together, a wall of golden chakra appearing in front of him.  The sand crashed into his defence, but it did not break through. The sound of the crashing sand was the only thing you could hear. Then, on ce the sand had no more wave left,  Naegi put down his shield. He sped forwards, much faster than he had first. He cocked his fist back, and with a roar he jumped into the air. 

Natsu jumped away, narrowly dodging  Naegi’s fist as he came crashing towards the ground. Saku almost cringed as she imagined the pain of her fist hitting the arena floor. It would clearly shatter on impact.

But it wasn’t Naegi’s fist that shattered.

It was the floor.

A crater formed underneath  Naegi’s fist, the arena floor destabilizing as it cracked apart.  Naegi whipped his head up towards Natsu, pulling his fist out of the crater he had made, he slipped through Natsu’s  quickly assembled defence of sand. 

Natsu tried to jump away, but the sudden boulders that appeared behind him made him stumble slightly. It was enough of an opening.

Naegi stepped on Natsu’s foot, pushing him backwards as he grabbed a hold of Natsu’s shirt. With his free hand, he created chains of chakra that quickly surrounded Natsu’s hands, preventing him from using any  jutsu . 

He made a kunai materialize in front of Natsu’s throat.

“Surrender,”  Naegi stated. 

Natsu looked towards  Akahiko , giving him a nod. 

“The match is over! The winner is Uzumaki  Naegi !”  Akahiko called out. 

Naegi released Natsu, stepping back. “Sorry about the arena,  Akahiko ,” he said with a smile.  Akahiko shook his head. With a single hand sign, the edge of the arena floor began to glow. The crater and earth wall  Naegi had created melted back into the ground. 

“We’re used to it,”  Akahiko said with a wink. “Please return to the competitor’s box,” he said. He made sure that both of the  genin managed to get back just fine. He then turned his attention to the screen, which began selecting the next set of fighters.

“ Naegi ! That was awesome!” Saku exclaimed as  Naegi came up to them. 

“I’m impressed,” Fujin said. “You managed to go through an entire match without getting yourself or your opponent damaged like, at all.” It was a very  Naegi thing to do. 

Naegi offered a shrug as a reply. He probably hadn’t even thought about it, despite it being quite an amazing feat. The amount of restriction he had was fearful. 

“Next match!  Akamichi Choza against  Sabaku no Kansho!”  Akahiko called out.  Choza , who Saku briefly knew since th ey were in the same class, left the competitor’s box. The guy who was presumably Kansho followed him. 

Kansho’s face was partially covered by a high collared t-shirt. His entire outfit seemed to be just one piece of black clothing, and he had this huge thing strapped to his back.

“Oy, Natsu!” Fujin called. “Who’s that? He has the same title thing as you .” 

Natsu turned around. He looked impassive, which wasn’t what Saku had expected considering he just lost a battle. Lost his chance to become a chuunin. Was he just emotionless? Saku didn’t know him too well to know. “He’s my cousin,” Natsu replied simply. “He’s also the cousin of  Shikao ,”

“God, I keep forgetting you guys are related,” Fujin muttered. “He’s  Kankuro’s son then? Why do you all get that title anyway? I thought it was just  Gaara’s thing.” 

Saku would be honest. She wasn’t entirely sure about all the names they were saying.

“Well,” Natsu said. “It sounds cool, I guess. Though for me it was more of a show to me being also a citizen of Suna, in a sense. Kansho? He earned it. He’s one of the strongest  genin Suna has produced since  Dad – and  Dad was a  jinchuuriki , so it felt  sorta like an unfair advantage on his part. But yeah, ‘ Sabaku no’ was  Dad’s moniker, but it’s more of a title now  I suppose,” Natsu explained. 

A nice clarification, Saku assumed.  Too bad she didn’t know the context. 

Kansho was sort of terrifying. He used three puppets,  all of them with different abilities and absolutely horrifying designs. 

He utterly decimated  Choza , and he hadn’t even moved from his starting position.  Choza wasn’t too badly hurt, but he needed to go to the  medbay anyway. He had refused to give up, despite the skill level between him and Kansho being huge. It had ended  with him being beaten up  pretty bad .

The next match was between  Hitomi and some  kumo genin called  Momoiya Kuro. Kuro was a sword user, but that meant nothing to Hitomi. Saku had seen her fight up close before in the Hyuuga compound, but sparring and real battle had quite different energies to it. 

There was no hesitation on  Hitomi’s part. She disabled so many of Kuro’s chakra points before he could even consider using long ranged fighting against  Hitomi’s taijutsu . And then he lost. Sword’s didn’t help when your arms stopped working. 

“Next match:  Kurama Mizuko versus Nara  Shikao !” Akahiko called. 

Saku and Fujin both sighed at the same time. Who were they supposed to cheer for now?

“Mizuko wasn’t trained in actual ninja arts for very long, was she?” Saku asked, trying not to sound too uncertain about Mizuko’s victory.

“No,” Fujin replied. “Her time before Konoha was spent mostly trying to control her  genjutsu , which didn’t go all that well as far as I understood it,” he continued to explain. On the arena,  Shikao and Mizuko moved to their appropr iate places, entering their opening stances. 

“ Our sensei wasn’t one to slack off,” Arima’s voice cut in. “Don’t underestimate her.”

Fujin turned around to face him. “I’m not,” he said. “However, do not underestimate  Shikao either, he’s wickedly smart.”

“Being clever isn’t everything,” Saku mumbled. 

“No,” Fujin and Arima said in unison. The two looked at each other quickly, but just as fast they turned away from each other. 

“ But there is a balance necessary,” Fujin said. “If you don’t have the strength or skills necessary for your plan, then your plan won’t work. However, if you fight with no planning or any tactic,  then you leave yourself open to many weaknesses. If I remember correctly,  there’s a saying in Konoha which goes something along the lines of ‘if you don’t possess heaven, gain knowledge and be prepared, and if you don’t possess earth, run through the fields and seek strength ’. It’s something that’s a base for becoming a  chuunin , you need both strength and knowledge to be promoted,” Fujin gave Saku an encouraging smile. 

Saku nodded slowly. It was another of his info blabbering. She was supposed to try and remember this. Just remember. It’s not that hard. 

“Though wouldn’t that stop some really powerful shinobi from becoming chuunin?” Saku asked. Fujin shook his head.

“It’s not about being book smart, necessarily. It’s about experience and how to handle mission situations. To be certain that you are prepared to be a leader. Take you, Saku, as an example. You’re not book smart, and  ifi it was n’t for your  sharingan’s photographic memory, you’d have barely any memory at all.”

“Hey!”

“ But, you can still make plans for battle. And you still analyse your  opponents when fighting, even if its  subconsciously . When you saved  Tento , you didn’t rush in and not think about the hostage situation at hand, you went for stealth first – which is more than most  genin would have been able to think,” Fujin explained. “Don’t thi nk that there isn’t a brain in your head, even if it’s hidden far... far down,” 

“How is this relevant to the match?” Naegi huffed.

“Well -”

“Please just watch the match,” 

-

Mizuko knew the moment she stepped into the arena that she had the disadvantage. 

It wasn’t exactly secret knowledge that the Nara clan was a clan of  really smart people. Shikao, his father, and his father’s father were all renowned for their intellect.  There was a reason why Shikamaru was the  jonin commander despite being quite a lazy man. 

And she wasn’t exactly confident in her own abilities yet. The lingering fear of losing control over her  ability would probably never leave her.  And yet she knew  genjutsu was probably one of the best ways to trick Shikao. Not a large one, one that you knew instantly wasn’t real – but one that would just slightly adjust your vision. 

Mizuko took a deep breath. The proctor was going to start the match any second. Shikao seemed as relaxed as ever.  It was difficult to predict what he was going to do. He didn’t seem stressed or affected by the stakes at all – it was really annoying. 

“Start!”

Mizuko jumped back at the proctor’s words. Shikao didn’t move. He crouched down, pressing his hands together in a weird pose.  He just left himself completely open. But why? What had he planned? Had he laid traps already? 

“Water Style:  Water Shuriken!” Mizuko exclaimed. 

Several small water  shurikens shot towards Shikao. They curved around, an attempt to best limit his movement. The only way he could move - 

Shikao jumped. Mizuko grinned to herself.

-was up. 

“ Water Style:  Raging Waves!” She shouted. She took a deep breath, building the chakra within her chest as she spewed a massive amount of water out of her mouth. The water covered the area underneath Shikao. 

She wasn’t to proficient in any other elemental  jutsu than water, but she had learned the basics of lightning style for this particular combo.

With a jolt of electricity from her palm and into the water covering the arena floor in front of her, the slight spark  quickly spread across the water. 

Shikao, who was falling towards the electrified floor, grimaced slightly. Mizuko wasn’t sure if it was panic or if he just felt inconvenienced. It could be both. 

“ Fire Style: Dragon Flame  Jutsu ,” Shikao said. A dragon like shape of fire shot at the ground. Shikao landed into the flames, but quickly afterwards the  jutsu died out . Shikao stood in the  center of it, the electrical water around him, but not touching the area he was standing. 

Mizuko frowned. He evaporated the water just like  that?

She rushed forwards. She might not have the advantage in long range combat, and though her  taijutsu wasn’t the best, she knew that Shikao had  definitely not practiced it. He was too lazy for stuff like hand to hand combat, a t least according to Fujin and the others. 

However, Shikao had other plans. Mizuko hadn’t even seen him draw his own blood, but suddenly he slammed his hand down on the ground.  Mizuko stopped dead in her tracks before she ran into the plume of smoke. Once that had cleared away, Shikao was standing with a large fan. It seemed like any normal fan, but there was a big green circle on it, at least as far as she could see – it was only partially opened. 

With a swing of his fan, Shikao created a huge whirlwind that came raging towards Mizuko. Nobody told her how to dodge a whirlwind. 

She sped along the edge of the arena. The spinning water beneath the arena floor was so much louder there. She had almost forgotten they were on top of a whirlpool. 

Mizuko frowned. If she had the chakra capacity, she could’ve used the water in the whirlpool to counter  Shikao’s whirlwind. It had seemed so fitting. Whirl vs Whirl. 

In the country of Whirls. 

Mizuko was shaken out of her thoughts as Shikao sent another blast of wind towards her. This one was just set on hitting her backwards. She grabbed a set of kunai with wire attached to it, shooting them into the ground with chakra augmentation, lodging them deep into the arena floor. She held on to the wires as best as she could, and when the blast of wind hit her head on, she was knocked backwards. But her grip kept her on the arena, rather than flying away into the spectator area. 

She crashed into the ground as the wind faded, letting her continue her sprint along the edge of the arena. She saw no opening of attack. 

Then she’d have to create one. 

She tried to focus, taking a deep breath as she continued running. She didn’t need something big. Just a distraction. 

She was glad that Uchiha Sakumo was her teacher. Because Sakumo had been trained by Kakashi at one point, and he’d learned a really handy jutsu.

“Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Jutsu!” 

A thick layer of mist covered the arena.  She  saw Shikao send another blast of wind in the direction she had been in moments ago. It gave away his location.  Mizuko  shot towards where she knew Shikao was. 

“Genjutsu: Double Optic Delusory,” Mizuko whispered.  She let the mist clear slightly, enough to see that Shik ao stood dazed where he was, the fan fallen to the ground. 

She brought out a kunai, walking around Shikao so she could point the kunai to his neck from his back. She snapped her fingers, releasing both the mist technique and the genjutsu.

“Surrender,” she said. Shikao didn’t say anything. Mizuko narrowed her eyes. Something was wrong. 

Then her body stiffened slightly. Shikao disappeared in a flicker. 

“A clone?” Mizuko breathed out. She looked down, watching how her shadow connected to the fan.  That did not make sense. Then, she noticed the edge of a hole underneath the fan. 

A very much larger than normal weasel  came out through the hole, pushing the fan away, revealing Shikao sitting crouched on the ground, his eyes barely above the ground so he could see.

“Shadow Paralysis, complete,” Shikao said. The weasel, which by the way was dressed in a  really funny way, also had a sickl e . Why a weasel woul d have a sickle  was beyond Mizuko, but having the blade pointed towards her was not fun. “Surrender,” Shikao said. 

“Yeah, surrender!” The weasel shouted. 

“Komari,” Shikao warned. The weasel leaned his head to the side in what  seemed to be its attempt to mimic an eyeroll. 

Mizuko met the eyes of the proctor. She sighed. “Fine, I surrender,” she said.

“The match is over! Nara Shikao is the winner!”

-

“Awh, man!” Saku whined. “I thought Mizuko won that one!”

“Had it been in the official matches, she might’ve shown enough skill to actually be considered for promotion,” Fujin mumbled. “It’s a shame so many people lose their chances in the prelims,”

“To be fair,”  Naegi said. “The level of shinobi is much higher than it was before, even in a time of peace. The new academy curriculum is unforgiving. Everyone could probably be considered for promotion at this point in their career unless they really slacked off, in which I don’t think  their instructors would let them come to the exam. At this point, it’s really the best of the best,” 

“Look at you, sounding all smart and stuff,” Saku huffed. 

“It happens,”  Naegi chuckled. “Unlike you.”

“Hey!”

Mizuko and Shikao re-entered the competitor’s box. Saku jumped to her feet, hugging Mizuko tightly. (Who looked a little bit surprised and maybe even a bit uncomfortable at the sudden contact.)

“Argh! I definitely thought you’d win!” Saku said. Mizuko clapped Saku’s back  awkwardly . 

“You seem more upset about it than me,” Mizuko laughed. 

Asuka came up to the two of them. “You’ll get into the finals next time,” she said. 

“I know,” Mizuko replied, smiling determinedly. “It’s like Sakumo-sensei said, this is a training exercise at a higher level, but passing or not doesn’t matter at this point,” 

“Not to mention that he wants to continue teaching us even though one of us get promoted,”  Asuka chuckled. “He doesn’t want to let us go just yet,” 

“He’s an... emotional dude,” Mizuko hummed in agreement.

“Next match! Uzushima Fuyu vs Uzumaki Haru!”

“Finally!” Haru shouted. His teammates looked at him with their own small glares. “Oh , come on guys ! W e fight each other all the time! In this tournament, we’re all rivals!”

“Keep your rivalry to Fujin,” Fuyu snorted. She stepped past him and into the arena.

“Yikes,” Saku said. “I would not want to fight my teammates in the prelims,” 

“Yeah, that’ll probably suck after one of them are defeated,”  Asuka agreed. 

Fujin rolled his eyes. “Haru’s just being an ass.” 

The remaining teammate of the  Uzu team, Natsu, stepped up to them. “Haru and Fuyu always argue, they’re actually polar opposites,” he said with a sigh. “ But they’ll probably just take it as a rematch from the tournament  Uzu held last summer. They fought there then, and Fuyu won.  Haru’s been itching for ‘a real rematch’ ever since,” Natsu explained. 

“So... they’re okay with it?” Saku asked. She didn’t want their friendship to be ruined, even if she didn’t know them at all. 

“They’ll be fine, if not, our master will kick their asses until the y get their common sense back,” 

\--

Haru was the winner of their match. And boy did he not shut up about it. Fuyu used her ice style  jutsu to freeze his mouth shut when they entered the competitor’s box again.

\--

“The next match, Sawamura Aokiji vs Nara Saku!”

“Oh,  h ell  y es!” Saku shouted. “I’ve been waiting for this all day!” She jumped to her feet, stretching out quickly. She hurried out on the arena floor, almost jumping halfway there. 

Aokiji did not have the same enthusiasm. If anything, he was the only one of his team who just didn’t have bad enough injuries to want to give up without giving the prelims a chance. But a blind guy could see that Saku had been one of the first team to arrive – and she was well rested. 

Sawamura Aokiji didn’t seem like someone who was too strong. But to be fair, most of their opponents were just as old as they were, and  twelve-year olds didn’t exactly bring the greatest fear to you. Well, unless you were in the pit.

Saku thought of the  chuunin exam just like the tournaments they had in the academy. And though she knew the stakes were higher here than they were back home, this was still nothing compared to what she had seen. She supposed that was how most things would seem to her. Even if she stepped into the pit now, it would never have the same fear and desperation as it had all those years ago.

“Ready...”  Akahiko paused slightly. He  gave Saku an extra glance to make sure she was actually paying attention. 

“Start!”

Saku rushed forwards. She had no intention of letting her opponent get a gauge of her power.  Aokiji started forming his  jutsu , and with a clasp of his hands, several  spikes of stone rose from the ground between him and Saku. 

Saku sped between the spikes. They shot up around her, but to her eyes they were nothing but minor obstacles. 

Aokiji gave Saku a glare. He certainly did not like the goofy attitude she had by the looks of things. 

Ah, well. That wasn’t her problem. 

“You Konoha ninja always seem to think so highly of yourselves!”  Aokiji said loudly. He raised a large wall of stone between himself and Saku, too tall to just jump over – it would leave Saku too vuln erable to his attacks. “You treated this entire exam like a game!” 

Saku stopped, entering a slightly more defensive position. She could see him, walking around the edge of the arena, slowly  moulding the terrain. He had a large amount of chakra for a  genin .  Saku saw him clearly, and his chakra was strong as well. 

Saku’s personal theory about chakra, or rather some part of the nonsense Fujin went on about that chakra was stronger due to power of the mind or whatever, was not that you needed to be smart to get stronger chakra. It was a matter of will, of  determination. It wasn’t just about gathering experiences, but being able to grow from them. 

That’s why she figured she, Fujin and  Naegi were so strong. Not just because of all the things  Orochimaru had put them through, but because they survived it. Because they healed from it. Because when they should have given up, they saw the future.

“A game?” Saku asked. She clenched her fist. “The  chuunin exam is but a step – a hurdle,” she continued. She  furrowed her brows, staring right at where  Aokiji was. 

“I will always give everything I’ve got.”

-

“Saku...”  Naegi murmured. “I didn’t realize she felt so strongly about this,” he said. He glanced at Fujin, who was staring at the arena, his expression unreadable. 

“Saku, you know,”  Hitomi said slowly. “She’s one of the  top in our class, the top if you only count the girls, I don’t know how you guys measure up against each other, to be honest.  She always talks about how everything is just fun and that she didn’t need to make any improvements. B ut... even during all of our lessons, where Saku seemed to be bored out of her mind or completely lost,  or in the practical lessons like capture the flag or just an obstacle  curse – she’d get this look,”  Hitomi paused. She pointed towards Saku. 

Her expression was hard. It was hard to describe, to be honest. A level of concentration, of determination, but also calm. It seemed like an expression more suitable to Fujin, in  Naegi’s opinion. When Saku fought with them it was always fire and a lot of  shouting. When they fought  Danzo , Saku had just been downright angry.  Naegi had been too, but he had a different thing to worry about then.

“She always seemed to take everything with one hundred percent,” Hitomi continued.

“It’s not very Nara like,”  Shikao chuckled. “But Saku’s Nara intellect hasn’t taken form the way it usually has. She hasn’t got that laziness, and she hasn’t got the pure mind for things. But she has some unbeliev able instincts. And even though she might know it, she  _ knows  _ things. Like she connects the dots, and she acts on instincts. Her reaction time is incredible, and how she just knows that the plan that she comes up with li ke a  spontaneous action is actually doable – and will work,”  Shikao explained.  Naegi stared at the two, who’s eyes were also fixed on the match.

T his Saku was a side he hadn’t noticed. She seemed so focused. As if the entire world had slipped away from her in this one moment. And her mind was fixed on just one thing – the match. 

Naegi was actually a bit in awe. 

“Saku... actually no,” Fujin said. “Every one of us, can grow more. A lot more ,” he trailed off, furrowing his brows as he leaned forward where he sat, staring even more intensely at where Saku was. “Out of all of us, I think Saku is the one who’ll be the strongest,” 

-

“And that’s why-” Saku brought her open palm backwards, stepping into her resting position. She  charged her palm with chakra. It wasn’t exactly an air palm in the way  Hiashi would have wanted it to be.

But in exchange for the accuracy of the air palm, she got strength. 

“I will win!” Saku shouted. She shot her palm forwards, releasing a burst of charka right before her maximum reach. 

An unseen force barrelled its way through the stone pillars  Aokiji had created. The ground cracked underneath the pressure, the pillars blas t away. Rubble shot into every direction.  Aokiji shot himself up into the air with the help of a pillar, but quickly realized his mistake.

The pillar crumbled underneath him from Saku’s blast. And Saku was already sprinting towards him, a clear and straight path having been created. Disconnected from the ground,  Aokiji had no chance in creating a wall large enough to stop her. 

Saku jumped up underneath his,  cocking her fist back as she went up. Before  Aokiji had even begun his descent, Saku appeared in front of him. 

“You’re too damned fast-!”  Aokiji hissed. Saku didn’t say anything. She stared right at him , her white eyes merciless.  He tried to move – to position himself somewhat to defend. 

Saku slammed her fist up into his jaw, sending him flying even further into the air.

The force of her punch alone was enough to knock  Aokiji out. As Saku landed, she realised quite quickly that  Aokiji had no chance of landing safely himself. 

To be fair it would probably have been smarter do just throw him into the ground. That would probably have been easier on his head than taking her punch. 

Saku was about to jump up again when  Akahiko was suddenly in air already. 

“ Sawamura Aokiji is unable to battle,” he said. “Nara Saku is the winner.”

He carefully took  Aokiji into his arms, landing on the ground with an unusual softness.  Akahiko placed  Aokiji on the ground before he  lifted one hand in  a seal. “Release,” he said softly. He seemed to sink further into the ground for a second, and Saku almost thought she imagined it. 

A medic  nin came running from  the southern entrance into the arena. That was where the  med bay was located, probably. To be honest Saku wasn’t entirely sure about the entire layout of the place. The medic took  Aokiji from  Akahiko , carrying him back to where the medic came from. 

“Saku,”  Akahiko said. “Unless you require medical attention, please return to the competitor’s box,”

Saku whipped her head around to face him. “Ah, right!” She said, hurrying back to the others.  Naegi and Fujin were the first to go towards her, howeve r, they were both beaten to the punch of getting to her by a blur of green and black.

“Saku!” Mizuko exclaimed. “That was amazing! It looked so cool!”  She looked down at her hands. “You were all quick and flashy and – did you come up with that plan immediately or-”

Saku  laughed slightly, not completely  prepared for the praise. Especially not from Mizuko, who had been kind of shy around new people – especially these foreign ninja. 

However,  MIzuko could not contain the pure excitement of watching Saku’s match. And that probably was the same for the others in the box too. 

Nothing fired you up more than seeing how strong your opponents were.

It gave you the perspective of the  level you were on. This was only the prelims of the third exam, this wasn’t even the official test yet. The real stage – they hadn’t gotten there yet. 

“The next match is Arima versus Tamaki!”  Akahiko’s voice sounded. 

Saku looked at Arima, who’s expression had gotten more serious than when he was just watching. Their eyes met. Arima gave her a soft smile, which Saku returned with a dazzling grin. The two didn’t need to exchange words to know what the other was thinking. 

Arima and Tamaki was standing on opposite ends  of the arena,  staring each other down.  Tamaki looked pumped, as if he was about to burst with energy. Arima... he was more reserved when it came to his emotions. Well, at least to anyone who he didn’t know.

“Start!”

“I’m  not entirely sure what you do, ” Arima said. “However, it is no match to my  jutsu ,” he continued. 

“You can try repeat that after you lose,” Tamaki said. “I’ve been trained by  Kankuro – the brother of the  kazekage ! The strongest puppeteer since the great Chiyo! Under his guidance, I am strong! ” Tamaki went through a series of  hand signs before he lifted his arms up in a swift motion.

Water shot up from the ground with great force, having gone straight through from the  whirpool underneath the arena. Two large arms formed behind  Tamaki, mimicking his movements.

Arima  frowned but was otherwise unbothered by Tamaki’s actions . “Who your master is  don’t mean you’re strong.”

“ Of course, it does!” Tamaki said with a grin. The large water hands clenched their fists  similarly to Tamaki, who seemed to enter a combat pose. “The strongest will train the strong .  Without the proper soil, nothing will grow in the desert! It’s the same for us – only those of us who are trained by the strongest will be the ones to come out on top!”

Arima seemed to be getting  really angry – but then he just smiled. “N ah ,” he said. “It’s not just about your teacher,” he  continued, crouching down slowly. “But I’m not going to lecture you, because I really don’t care.” His smile grew into more of a strong smirk. 

“Wood release: Nativity of a sea of trees!”

With a clap of his hands, large roots began to sprout out of the ground around Arima. Faster than most would be able to react to, the arena got covered in trees.  Tamaki’s water arms collapsed as Tamaki was swallowed up by the growing forest. By the time the trees had gotten to their full size, Tamaki was completely stuck in the trunk .

“Surrender, or I’ll crush you,” Arima said. There was no real hostility in his voice, but the threat-but-not-really seemed to work on Tamaki anyway. 

“I-” Tamaki clamped his mouth shut. Arima glanced over at Akahiko, who just sighed.

“Tamaki is unable to move,” he said. “The match goes to Arima.”

With that, Arima reversed his jutsu. However, the arena itself had seen better days from it. 

Tamaki sat on the ground, staring right at his knees. “I... lost,” he mumbled. 

If it had been any other, there would probably have been some long speech about why he lost or what he should do next.  Naegi would have done it, Saku would have said something along the lines of motivation, without probably really making sense but still being really inspiring, and Fujin would have given a lecture that was  _ almost  _ emotional. 

In fact, most people would probably have said  _ something. _

But not Arima. He headed straight back to the competitor’s box, happy to listen to Saku’s rambling about how cool the match was rather than telling his opponent why he should improve or how to.  In fact, who was he to lecture him  anyway? Arima may not accept who his master was, in fact, he was actively rejecting it, but would he have been this strong without  Orochimaru ? No one knew th at. However, it was likely that he was stronger now. That even if a  non-kidnapped him would have reached this level of strength one day, he certainly wouldn’t have done it by now. 

But nobody really wanted to say that. 

Not Saku. Not Fujin. Not Naegi. 

Not one of them wanted to say that they were strong because  Orochimaru made them strong. They’d rather say it was because they survived him. That it was because they had it in them. 

They didn’t want to admit that everything they were, they were because of him. 

-

“That Tamaki – his  jutsu is  really strong .  Definitely useful in  Suna as well,” Fujin said. 

Saku turned to him, cocking her head to the side. “But he lost though? Probably because of his attitude.”

“Well yeah,” Fujin  s aid. “But to be able to bring the water through the arena like that – ripping it away from a  whirpool nonetheless – that requires strength. Much more than what you’d see from a  genin before ,” he explained. He was about to speak again, when he was interrupted by Natsu.

“His water affinity is really strong,” Natsu said. “He can bring it from deep under the earth, and sometimes even air, if its humid enough. I heard of him the last time I was in  Suna , he is one of the best people to bring on a mission out in the desert. Water is scarce there, after all. He’s saved a lot of people,” Natsu looked towards Tamaki, who had slowly begun to move back towards the box. 

“So... he’s actually pretty cool?” Saku asked.

“Yeah,” Natsu said. “His personality sucks though.”

Saku snorted, looking towards Tamaki as well.  He didn’t look  so happy about his defeat, and quickly made his way over to his teammate. They talked in low whispers, keeping anyone from  listening in.

“Then, for the final match!”  Akahiko said. “ Namikaze Fujin versus Uchiha Asuka!”

Fujin sighed. He knew that they were going to fight when Arima and Tamaki were called, but that didn’t mean he had to like it. He never really felt comfortable fighting again st his allies. He only trusted  Naegi and Saku (and maybe, regrettably, Arima) to handle him in a battle. In case he lost it again. In case he went on a rampage. 

He and  Asuka headed out to the arena together. They shared a glance, but neither said anything. As they took their places,  readying themselves, Fujin had to remind himself of one thing.

He couldn’t lose here.

“Start!”

Asuka rushed forwards first. Her red  sharingan only had two  tomoe in each eye, not yet fully developed. Fujin entered a defensive position.  Asuka was perhaps a strong  genin because of her bloodline and intensive training, however Fujin was used to fighting against eyes like hers.

Only Saku was much stronger than Asuka.

He’d never consider fighting Saku head on like he would now. She was too fast, too unpredictable. But  Asuka was someone he was capable of defe ating in  taijutsu . In addition, he could also stick more to  fuinjutsu this roun d. Leave his  jutsu a secret to his opponents, as  fuinjutsu was much harder to get a read on mid combat. 

“Fire Style: Great Fireball  Jutsu !”  Asuka exclaimed.

Classic Uchiha move. 

Fujin whipped out a barrier seal, quickly shielding himself from the roaring flame. The heat was much more than he imagined. But then again,  Asuka was  _ the  _ Uchiha  Sasuke’s daughter. Her innate talen t was probably off the charts. 

She would’ve been so much stronger if it hadn’t been for the village’s weird politics. 

The fire cleared out, and  Asuka was right in front of Fujin’s barrier. She quickly ran to her right, aiming to run around her barrier. Fujin narrowed is eyes slightly. 

Asuka’s attack came sooner than he expected. She appeared by Fujin’s side fast, a punch already on its way towards him. Fujin lifted his arm to block, supporting it with his rig ht. 

“I thought so,”  Asuka said with a grin. “Fujin, your reaction time with your prosthetic is lacking!”

Fujin smirked. “Still enough to block you though,” he said. He grabbed her arm quickly, pulling her forward and getting  Asuka off balance. He took a step back,  fishing a paralysis seal out of his pouch. 

“Granted you can see me,”  Asuka said. She threw several  pellets towards Fujin. Upon impact with the ground, the pellets exploded into large clouds of smoke. Much more effective than your normal s moke bombs. They also seemed denser – it was harder to breathe. 

Fujin  sighed. There went that no  jutsu plan. 

“Wind style: Great breakthrough!” He shouted. The large blast of wind he formed split the smoke around him in two, pushing it to the edges of the arena.  Asuka was blown away too, barely managing to catch her balance  before she fell off the arena. 

Charging chakra to his feet, Fujin shot forwards.  Before  Asuka had gotten to her feet, he was in front of her. He did an almost Saku like move, moving his open palm towards  Asuka . With her  sharingan she could read his movements and block him easily enou gh, however, that was exactly as he planned. 

The paralysis seal  made contact with her wrist as she blocked , her body going limp  at the moment of impact. She fell to the ground with a thud.

Fujin brought out a kunai, slowly and even  sightly carefully moving around to hold  Asuka down, even though it frankly wasn’t necessary. He p ut the kunai behind her head, showing clearly that she had no chance of getting up again.

“Dammit!”  Asuka hissed. “This gap! Why is it still so big?”

Fujin frowned. She hadn’t seriously thought she could beat him? She knew everything, all Fujin and his team, what her o wn team had been through. She’d barely been training for a year and a half – she was so strong in terms of that, but Fujin and the others... they’d been fighting for so much longer.

“I-”

“The match is over! The winner is  Namikaze Fujin!”  Akahiko shouted. 

Fujin released  Asuka , quickly deactivating his paralysis seal. 

“I was surprised,” Fujin said softly. “ You’ve improved more than I imagined, but of course our levels are different,” he said. Asuka gave him a small glare. It wasn’t a very angry glare, but at least a bit maybe very annoyed.

“You don’t have to say it like that,”  Asuka stated, crossing her arms. 

Fujin looked away briefly. He didn’t consider himself very motivating. “I didn’t mean to belittle you or anything,” he said. “But while it certainly is  the best to always aim for the top, you can’t measure your growth to me or anyone else who came from...  well, there ,” Fujin mumbled the last part. “We basically cheated our way to level fifty, with several years of experience. You had to start from the bottom, and you barely had a year to train yourself,” Fujin said. 

“But, that still doesn’t-”

“ Asuka .” Fujin put his hand on her shoulder. “You’re stronger than most of our graduating class, who started their training many years before you. Don’t doubt yours elf now.” 

Fujin had a feeling that  nothing he said now would  actually reach her. He looked towards Mizuko and Arima. This would probably have to fall to them. 

“Well then,”  Akahiko interrupted their little scene. “Can all the winners please come out here? The rest of you are free to wait or you can leave to visit the rest of your squads .”

Asuka quickly walked away, heading straight to where Mizuko was. Fujin was tempted to go after her, to be honest, but he had to stick to what was probably best. He went over to Saku and  Naegi , standing in front of  Akahiko along with the rest of the winners.

“Congratulations on passing the preliminaries,”  Akahiko said. “The Final exam will take place here at Storm’s Arena one month from now. This time should be spent wisely, through training or information gathering or what you might deem right.  As I mentioned earlier, the final is a big event, and is the real moment for you as the next generation to truly sho w your strength,”  Akahiko gestured towards the screen.

The order of the matches had already been decided. 

“The first match, Uzumaki  Naegi versus Hyuuga Hitomi,

The second match,  Namikaze Fujin versus Uzumaki Haru,

The third match, Nara Saku versus Sabaku no Kansho,

And the fourth, Arima versus Nara  Shikao ,”  Akahiko announced. 

Fujin hummed. These were interesting match ups. He was sure Saku and  Naegi had noticed as well. And it all became so very clear now. They were going to fight each other to come out on top. Only one of them could be the winner. 

And it would be insulting to not give it their all. 


End file.
